DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS 
WASHINGTON 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER 

IN THE CITY 

A STUDY OF STATISTICS RELATING TO 
MARRIED WOMEN IN THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, N. Y. 

AT THE CENSUS OF 1920 

BY 

BERTHA M. NIENBURG 


£ Q. u / 


GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
WASHINGTON 
1923 









DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

11,$. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS 
WASHINGTON 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER 

IN THE CITY 

A STUDY OF STATISTICS RELATING TO 
MARRIED WOMEN IN THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, N. Y. 

AT THE CENSUS OF 1920 

BY 

BERTHA M. NIENBURG 

i 



GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
WASHINGTON 
1923 















DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

HERBERT HOOVER, Secretary 


BUREAU OF THE CENSUS 

W. M. Steuart, Director 


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

RECEIVED 

/i"-; l 4 

t' » CS >vJ + * I w , . V.' 

DOCUMENTS DIVISION 



«r * r 







CONTENTS. 



TEXT. 

Introduction. 

General summary. 

Detailed study of Rochester women home-makers. 

Groups included.* 

Household responsibility. 

Children. 

Bread winning home-makers. 

Recapitulation of responsibilities. 

Household assistance rendered women. 

Breadwinners in family. 

Comparison of American-born women home-makers 

home-makers. 

Conclusion. 


Page. 

. 5 

. 9 

. ii 

. ii 

. i3 

. 16 

.;. 2 3 

. 26 

. 27 

.. .. 30 

and foreign-born women 

•. 34 

. 49 


TABLES. 

Table i.—N umber of women in Rochester, N. Y., in 1920, who are or have been 


married, and number included in this report. 12 

Table 2.—Country of birth of Rochester women who are or have been married: 

1920. 12 

Table '3.—Domicile status of Rochester women who are or have been married: 

1920. 13 

Table 4.—Ages of Rochester married women who live with husbands and who 

board or lodge or live with relatives: 1920. 14 

Table 5.—Number of persons in households maintained by Rochester women 

who are or have been married: 1920. 15 

Table 6.—Rochester women with or without children in the family circle: 1920. 17 

Table 7.—Rochester women who are or have been married and who have 

specified number of children in the family circle: 1920. 18 

Table 8.—Rochester women who are or have been married and who have chil¬ 
dren of specified ages in school, at home, or at work: 1920. 20 

Table 9.—Rochester women who are or have been married and who are or are 
not working for money in their own homes or outside their homes: 

1920. 24 

Table 10.—Rochester mothers working for money inside or outside the home, 

by ages of children: 1920. 26 


Table ii.—R ochester women who are or have been married and who have 
servants living in household or adult daughters or relatives at home 
who could help with housework or with care of children: 1920.... 28 


Table 12.—Members of Rochester families working for money: 1920. 30 

Table 13.—Number of members in Rochester families working for money: 1920.. 32 

Table 14.—Number and per cent of foreign-born women in Rochester able or 

unable to speak English: 1920. I . 35 

Table 15.—Conjugal status of American-born women and foreign-bom women 

in Rochester who are or have been married: 1920. 36 


3 



























4 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Table 16.—Domicile status of American-born and foreign-bom women in 

Rochester who are or have been married: 1920. 36 

Table 17.—Amcrican-bom and foreign-bom women in Rochester who are or 
have been married and who have specified number of persons in 

household: 1920. 37 

Table 18.—American-bom and foreign-bom women in Rochester with or without 

children in the family circle: 1920. 39 

Table 19.—American-born and foreign-born women in Rochester who are or 
have been married and who have specified number of children in 

the family circle: 1920. 40 

Table 20.—American-born and foreign-born women in Rochester who are or 
have been married and who have children of specified ages in 

school, at home, or at work: 1920.. 41 

Table 21.—American-born and foreign-born women in Rochester who are or 
have been married and who work for money in or outside their 

homes: 1920.*. 43 

Table 22.—American-bom and foreign-bom women in Rochester working out¬ 
side the home who have young children: 1920. 45 

Table 23.—American-born and foreign-born women in Rochester who are or 
have been married and who have servants living in household or 
adult relatives at home who could help with housework or with 

care of children: 1920. 46 

Table 24.—American-bom and foreign-bom women in Rochester having speci¬ 
fied members of families working for money: 1920. 47 

Table 25.—Number of members in American-born and foreign-born women’s 

families in Rochester working for money: 1920. 48 


/ - 



















INTRODUCTION. 


What contribution to the economic and social life of the Nation 
is the mass of women in the United States making? What are the 
conditions under which such contributions are being made ? 
What are the obvious aids and handicaps attending the per¬ 
formance of women’s duties as the Nation’s home-makers? 

From the earliest days of the Nation’s life, when the drafters of 
our Constitution provided for an enumeration of persons in the 
several States, to the present time when Congress names subjects 
to be studied and recorded, the Federal census has been epitomiz¬ 
ing the story of such current conditions as have been considered 
vital in the Nation’s ever-changing experience. The Constitution 
called for an official count of persons in order to apportion con¬ 
gressional representation and direct taxes. For this purpose an 
enumeration of heads of families, together with the numbers of 
free or slave, wdiite or black, and male or female members of such 
families, was made. Before 20 years had elapsed, however, the 
interest manifested by prominent men in rendering this country 
independent of Europe for essential manufactured articles resulted 
in the additional enumeration of the kind, quantity, and value of 
our manufactures. Thirty more years passed before mining 
arrested the attention of a sufficient number of men to warrant its 
inclusion in the census count. At the same time the demand for 
accurate information concerning our agricultural riches led to the 
gathering of data on the value of farm products. As the activi¬ 
ties of our people have worn new and ever-widening channels, the 
scope of inquiry made by the census has been extended just as 
fast as the interested public has awakened to the essentiality of a 
statistical foundation upon which to base action and build poli¬ 
cies and has provided the necessary funds therefor. As a result 
the Bureau of the Census now furnishes monthly, quarterly, an¬ 
nual, biennial, quinquennial, or decennial statistics—as the topic 
considered demands—covering all our industrial activities as well 
as many subjects concerning the location and characteristics of 
our normal population and our delinquent or defective population. 

Because the public did not consider home-making a business, 
nor motherhood or housewifery as occupations, these functions 


5 



6 


INTRODUCTION. 


have found no place in the varied matters analyzed from time to 
time by the Bureau of the Census. Within recent years the de¬ 
mand for a statistical accounting of work done by women not 
gainfully employed and the circumstances attending such work 
have been persistent. 

That the work done by the mother and housekeeper is of great 
economic value to the community no one doubts. If the planning 
and managing of the household and the cooking, cleaning, sewing, 
and nursing for the family were done by paid service, the Nation’s 
bill for caring for its people would be increased by billions. Such 
facts are of common knowledge; but particulars as to the number 
of women who are performing their share of the world’s work are 
enveloped in a haze of supposition. Whether the changes occur¬ 
ring in women’s world-old task have made for progress and to 
what extent present methods of conducting the business of home¬ 
making are responsible for obvious defects in our social system are 
subjects of fanciful discussion. For nowhere and at no time have 
the conditions of home-making in this country been surveyed and 
recorded; nowhere are there figures to inform us of the impercept¬ 
ible transformation forever taking place in the home as in the 
Nation’s life. 

Failure to bring forth answers to the fundamental questions 
asked concerning women home-makers has led women’s organi¬ 
zations to ask for changes and additions in the information col¬ 
lected and the records prepared by the Federal Bureau of the 
Census. It is their first contention that home-making must be 
raised to the dignity of a recognized occupation for which women 
will study and become prepared as for other professions if a stand¬ 
ard of home service is to be created. 

Winning an occupation label in the census count would auto¬ 
matically result in securing such information concerning home¬ 
makers as is given for all recognized occupations in the decennial 
population census; that is, the numbers of women so engaged in 
the several States and in cities of 25,000 inhabitants or more, by 
age, by color or race, nativity and parentage, and by marital 
condition. 

Considering “home-making” as a business in the census count 
would involve the construction of a special schedule, separate and 
distinct from that used for the enumeration of the population. 
Such a schedule is regarded as essential by women’s organizations 
if the business of home-making is to progress. Just as a periodical 
stock-taking has proven necessary for the successful operation of 





INTRODUCTION. 


7 


commercial enterprises, so it is held to be necessary in this most 
important enterprise of the Nation. 

But the special schedule desired by women would not call for 
the number of operating farms or factories, for the amount and 
value of agricultural produce or factory products, or for the 
number of employees or kind of equipment on farms and in fac¬ 
tories. It would ask the numbers of adult women maintaining 
homes, the number of persons for whom homes are maintained, 
and the number of children requiring care. It would ask the 
kind of work the housekeeper herself performed in her home, 
whether she was also remuneratively employed in her home or 
away from her home. It would ask the kind and amount of serv¬ 
ice she employs in the conduct of her home; and it would ascer¬ 
tain whether her home was equipped with running water, sewage 
pipes, gas, electricity, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and 
other facilities and devices for use in the business of housekeeping. 
Thus, it is asserted by the officers of women’s clubs, a measurement 
of the home worker’s contribution to the economic life of the 
Nation would be secured and the practical difficulties that beset 
the way known. With this as the key to family conditions that 
make for development or decline in the social group, they contend 
that a reliable body of facts would be available for viewing and 
reviewing the problems confronting the community and Nation 
and for carefully formulating remedial policies. Such is the 
woman’s view of the importance of the woman home-maker. 

The construction of a special schedule for the enumeration of 
home-making is a matter that must be decided upon finally by 
Congress before the Bureau of the Census is empowered to collect 
such data. As the next decennial census will not be taken until 
1930, the subject probably will not receive effective attention in 
Congress until 1929. In order, however, to test the validity of 
the arguments put forth by the leaders of women’s organizations 
for statistical consideration of home-makers before the matter 
shall become one for discussion in the preparation of the 1930 
census, the Bureau of the Census has searched its records of 1920 
for material that might give some information upon the status 
of home-making. 

The data gathered for the regular decennial population census 
are secured by family groups, although in the published results 
the family features are obscured by the statistical delineations of 
the individuals that make up the Nation. But by going back to 
this material the adult woman who is head of a family can be 





8 


INTRODUCTION. 


picked out and some of the interesting facts concerning her as a 
home-maker secured. From these sheets the numbers of women 
who do maintain homes, who board or lodge, or who live with 
relatives are obtainable. The size of the families; the ages of the 
children, whether they are in school or at work; the number of 
homes having servants living in the home or adult relatives at 
home—these also are ascertainable facts. The number of women 
householders who contribute to the support of the family by work¬ 
ing for money likewise can be determined. All this information is 
obtainable, with reference to the nativity of the woman house¬ 
holder. Consequently, a comparison of family conditions in the 
homes of women of different nationalities is available. 

To assemble and arrange this material for the United States is 
a costly piece of work. As an experiment, it was judged sufficient 
to take a representative American city, a city with a large Ameri¬ 
can population but with enough of foreign birth to illustrate the 
use of this material in determining racial standards of living. 

Rochester, N. Y., was the city chosen as meeting the require¬ 
ments in this respect. It had, in 1920, a population of 295,750 
persons, of whom approximately 76 per cent were American born 
and 24 per cent foreign born. Among the latter, peoples of early 
as well as more recent immigrations to our shores are found. 
Ireland, England, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Russia, each has 
contributed a material quota to the 24 per cent foreign-born pop¬ 
ulation. Many other nations are represented in .smaller numbers. 
While American ideals and ideas are primarily responsible for the 
mold in which the community life is cast, ideals and customs of 
peoples from many countries have been and are still busy alter¬ 
ing its outlines. 

Beginning its existence as a flour-milling center in a wealthy 
agricultural district, Rochester grew up as a manufacturing and 
distributing point for the region round about, until the develop¬ 
ment of our modern transportation system enabled it to send to 
the whole country its well-made clothing, shoes, photographic 
supplies, optical goods, and other products, in the manufacture 
of which its people excelled. It is against this background of 
varied high-grade manufacture and resultant trade that the 
story of Rochester’s women home-makers must be viewed. That 
story, so far as it is revealed by the material gathered in the course 
of securing the regular population census data, is contained in the 
following pages. 



GENERAL SUMMARY. 


Epitomized, the features of the story are: 

1. Of Rochester’s 74,000 women who are or have been married, 
62,500 are making homes for 233,000 1 of Rochester’s approximate 
296,000 people, and thus, as responsible custodians of family life, 
are conserving the source from which rise the Nation’s physical 
strength and civic ideals. 

2. The other 11,500 women, equally responsible as custodians 
of family life, are boarding or lodging or living with relatives. 
However much they may be succeeding in their function as 
guardians of the family, they are not contributing to the perma¬ 
nence and stability of civic life through the maintenance of homes. 

3. Over 54,000 of the 62,500 women maintaining homes have 
conjugal ties unbroken. Eight thousand women are maintaining 
homes bereft of husbands through death, divorce, or other marital 
mishaps. 

4. Of the more than 11,000 women not maintaining homes, 
4,700, or 40 per cent, are living in wedlock. Four-fifths of these 
women are under 45 years of age and two-fifths have children. 
Obviously, failure to maintain homes is not entirely the conse¬ 
quence of ruptured marital relations or of arrival at the period 
in life when family responsibilities have been discharged. 

5. Three-fourths of the 62,500 women maintaining homes are 
mothering children. This proportion is the same whether or not 
the women are bereft of husbands. 

6. One-half of the 11,500 women not maintaining homes are 
mothering children. The proportion of women in this group 
having children is greater where marital ties are broken. 

7. One-third of the homes having children have only 1 child, 
although the average number of children is between 2 and 3. 

8. Over three-fourths of the women who have children and are 
boarding or lodging or living with relatives have only 1 child. 

9. The American women and the other English-speaking 
women in Rochester are largely responsible for the number of 
families without children and the number of families with only 1 
child. 


1 Includes members of their families only, not boarders or lodgers. 


35577 °— 23 - 2 


9 





10 


GENERAL SUMMARY. 


10. Seventeen thousand, or 28 in every hundred of the 62,500 
women who are custodians and caretakers of the home, are supple¬ 
menting family income by working for money in or outside the 
home. The home-maker’s method of earning money is chiefly 
through the taking of boarders or lodgers, although 6,000 home¬ 
makers work in factories, stores, or offices. 

11. Over 13,000 of the 17,000 women earning money and main¬ 
taining homes are living with husbands. Thirty-eight hundred 
of these breadwinning home-makers have children under 5 years 
of age, and 5,700 have children between 5 and 18 years of age. 

12. Of the 11,500 women not maintaining homes, 3,400 work 
for money. Eleven hundred of these breadwinners are living 
with husbands. Among these women about 9 per cent have 
children under 5 years of age, and 10 per cent have children 5 to 
18 years of age. 

13. The proportion of foreign-born and of American-born 
women earning money is approximately the same. In homes 
mothered by foreign women, however, the mother goes outside 
the home to work when she has young children more frequently 
than does the American mother similarly situated. 

14. Although the census schedules show household service 
only when servants live in the employer’s home, there are evidences 
amounting to proof that the majority of Rochester women have 
little or no paid help. Out of the more than 74,000 women who 
are or have been married, there are but 1,261 who have ‘‘ living-in ’* 
servants. Deducting these 1,261 from the total number of 
servants reported in Rochester’s occupation census would not 
leave enough servants to give an average of one-fourth of a day’s 
service per week to each woman maintaining a home. 



DETAILED STUDY OF ROCHESTER WOMEN 

HOME-MAKERS. 

Groups Included. 

This study has been confined to the Nation’s principal home¬ 
makers—women who are or have been married . 1 

In the city of Rochester there are 76,009 women 15 years of age 
and over who are or have been married, as reported in Volume II 
of the Fourteenth Census reports. Eighty-two per cent of these 
are married, 17 per cent are widows, and less than 1 per cent are 
divorced. Among married women are some whose husbands 
are not living with the family. Analysis of the statistics showed 
that a number of these women are in Rochester’s institutions, 
such as hospitals for the sick or insane and homes for the aged. 
Others are living in the homes of employers as servants, housekeep¬ 
ers, or in other capacities. Whatever of family life these women 
have is not centered in the institutions or homes of employers in 
which they live and therefore is not recorded by the census in con¬ 
junction with the woman herself. Consequently all women living in 
institutions and those living with employers are excluded from this 
study. Women operating hotels or rooming houses in which they 
themselves live are excluded also, because it was not possible to 
disentangle their occupational and household responsibilities. 
These three groups of women number 1,542. 

The body of this report, therefore, is concerned with 74,467 
women who are or have been married and who are living under 
conditions which permit of family life and duties. Over 59,000, 
or almost 80 in every hundred, are married women living with hus¬ 
bands, and nearly 12,500 are widows. Only 395, or one-half of 
1 per cent, are divorced; although the number who, while not re¬ 
ported as divorced, are not living with husbands, is 2,314, or about 
3 per cent. Probable failure of family life in Rochester, therefore, 
may be said to be confined to 3^ per cent of its families. 

1 The single woman home-maker has been omitted. Interesting as an account of her responsibilities 
would be, such responsibilities can not be determined with statistical accuracy from the 1920 census sched¬ 
ules. Wherever male relatives appear as “heads of households," the responsibilities of single women in 
such households can only be assumed. Only such single women as are “heads of households” can be 
recognized as home-makers on these schedules. 




12 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


Table 1 .—Number of Women in Rochester, N. Y., in 1920, Who Are or Have 
Been Married, and Number Included in this Report. 


CONJUGAL STATUS. 

WOMEN married, 
WIDOWED, AND DI¬ 
VORCED, AS RE¬ 
PORTED BY POPU¬ 
LATION CENSUS . 1 

Women not 
included in 
this report 
(number 
living in 
institu¬ 
tions, in 
hotels 
which they 
operate, 
or with 
employers). 

WOMEN INCLUDED IN 
THIS REPORT. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Total. 

76,009 

100.0 

U 542 

74 >467 

100.0 

Married. 

62,523 

82.3 

889 

61,634 

82.8 

Husband living with family. 




5 Q,320 

79.7 

Husband not living with family. 




2; 3 14 


Widowed. 

.13,068 

17.2 

630 

12,438 

16.7 

Divorced. 

418 

o-S 

23 

395 

O. f 


1 Fourteenth Census of the United States: Population, Vol. II, p. 518. 


Almost two-thirds of these Rochester women were born in the 
United States. The 48,000 native bom include 482 Negro women, 
a number considered too small to be shown separately in this 
report. Foreign-born women living in Rochester have come from 
many countries. Italy has sent the largest number, or 6,661 mar¬ 
ried, widowed, or divorced women. German-born women num¬ 
bered 4,598. Almost 4,000 women have come to Rochester from 
Canada. Russians and Lithuanians form about 4 per cent of the 
total number of women; while from England, Ireland, and 
Poland, respectively, have come between 2 and 3 per cent of 
the total number of women. Other nations are too meagerly 
represented among the married, widowed, or divorced women in 
Rochester to be considered separately in this study. 

Table 2.—Country of Birth of Rochester Women Who Are or Have Been 

Married: 1920. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

Number. 

Total. 

74 . 467 

IOO. O 

Russia and Lithuania . 

2, 734 



United States. 

48, 000 

64- 5 

England. 

Ireland. 

2, 118 

1, 767 

1, 611 


Italy. 

6, 661 

8.9 

Poland. 


Germany. 

4 . 598 

6. 2 

All other countries. 


3,074 

Canada. 

3,904 

5 . 2 

































































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


13 


Household Responsibility. 

Over 62,500 Rochester women are home-makers and are pre¬ 
sumably, therefore, responsible for the daily cooking, cleaning, 
and laundering accompanying home maintenance. This group 
forms about 85 per cent of all married, widowed, or divorced 
women living in the city; that is, between 8 and 9 out of every 
10 women who are or have been married have household responsi¬ 
bilities to meet. 

The remaining 15 per cent, or about 11,500 women, escape such 
responsibilities to some extent by living with relatives or by board¬ 
ing or lodging. Among such women are 7,000 with broken con¬ 
jugal ties; that is, the husband is dead or no longer a member of 
the family group. 


Table: 3 .—Domicile: Status of Rochester Women Who Are: or Have: Been 

Married: 1920. 


CONJUGAL STATUS. 

TOTAL. 

WOMEN 

MAINTAINING 

HOMES. 

WOMEN 
LIVING WITH 
RELATIVES. 

WOMEN 
BOARDING 
OR LODGING. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

• 

74 , 467 

IOO. O 

62, 693 

84. 2 

9, 295 

12. s 

2,479 

3-3 

Married. 

61, 634 

IOO. O 

55 , 56 i 

90. I 

4, 716 

7 - 7 

1, 357 

2. 2 

Husband living with family. 

59- 320 

IOO. 0 

54, 586 

92. O 

3 . 786 

6. 4 

948 

1. 6 

Husband not living with family. 

2,314 

IOO. 0 

975 

42. 1 

930 

40. 2 

409 

17. 7 

Widowed. 

12, 438 

IOO. 0 

6, 956 

55 - 9 

4 , 449 

35.8 

1.033 

8-3 

Divorced. 

395 

IOO. 0 

176 

44. 6 

130 

32.9 

89 

22. s 


Table 3 might be passed over as simply recording that the 
overwhelming majority of Rochester women, married and living 
with husbands, are maintaining homes. But, studied in con¬ 
nection with Table 4, it reveals the fact that while the total num¬ 
ber of women who live with relatives or board or lodge do not 
constitute a large proportion of the married women living in 
wedlock, this group has special social significance. Of the nearly 
5,000 married women with conjugal ties unbroken who are board¬ 
ing or lodging or living with relatives, 4,000 are under 45 years 
of age, and the greatest number of these are between the ages of 
25 and 45 years. Obviously, it is the older women who cling to 
the home and the younger women who live with relatives or with 







































14 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


strangers. Undoubtedly, among the latter are many women, but 
recently married, who in later years will become home-makers. 
But the 25 potential home-makers 1 in every hundred married 
women under 25 years of age and the 7 in every hundred married 
women between the ages of 25 and 45 years who are without a 
base of operations for family life represent a real loss to the com¬ 
munity in civic stability. This loss, however, must not be allowed 
to overshadow the stability in community life represented by the 
75 per cent of married women under 25 years of age and the 93 
per cent of married women between 25 and 45 years of age who 
are maintaining homes. 

Table 4 . —Ages of Rochester Married Women Who Live with Husbands and 
Who Board or Lodge or Live with Relatives: 1920. 


MARRIED WOMEN WHO LIVE WITH HUSBANDS. 


domicile status. 

Total. 

16 to 24 years. 

Age groups. 

25 to 44 years. 

45 years and 
over. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Total not maintaining homes. 

1 4 , 73 i 

IOO. O 

1. 594 

33 - 7 

2,418 

5 i-1 

719 

i 5 - 2 

Women living with relatives. 

3 , 786 

IOO. O 

i ,342 

35 - 5 

1, 883 

49 - 7 

561 

14. 8 

Women boarding or lodging. 

1 945 

IOO. 0 

252 

26. 7 

535 

56. 6 

158 

16. 7 


1 Three women who did not report ages are not included in this table. 


The census population schedules throw considerable light upon 
the weight of responsibility falling upon the shoulders of married 
women home-makers in spite of the fact that these schedules give 
no information concerning home equipment or detailed work per¬ 
formed by the woman head of the household. They show the 
number of wives who have husbands to care for whether husbands 
are breadwinners or not; they show the number of children in 
the family, the number of relatives in the family, and the number 
of boarders or lodgers. Such data drawn together in Table 5 
reveal the number of persons old and young, for whom the married 
women in Rochester presumably are caring. 2 

1 For figures on ages of all married women in Rochester, see Fourteenth Census of the United States, 
Population, Vol. II, Marital Condition, p. 518. 

* The census schedules do not indicate, of course, how many married women do not assume family respon¬ 
sibilities because of invalidism or for other reasons. 



































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


IS 


Table 5 .—Number of Persons in Households Maintained by Rochester 
Women Who Are or Have Been Married: 1920. 


■ . 

Women 

maintain¬ 

ing 

homes. 

WOMEN MAINTAINING HOMES FOR- 

% 


CONJUGAL STATUS. 

1 

person. 

2 

persons. 

3 

persons. 

4 

persons. 

5 

persons. 

Total: 







Number. 

62, 693 

1. 236 

12, 567 

13.350 

12, 503 

8, 939 

Per cent. 

IOO. O 

1.9 

20. O 

21.3 

19. 9 

14 - 3 

Married: 







Number. 

55 . 561 

i 74 

10, 951 

11, 780 

11, 388 

8, 195 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

0.3 

19. 7 

21. 2 

20. 5 

14. 7 

Husband living with family— 







Number . 

54 . 586 

IOO. 0 


10, 729 

19. 7 

«. 572 

21. 2 

11, 239 

20. 6 

8,114 

14.9 

Per cent . 


Husband not living with family— 




Number. 

975 

174 

222 

208 

149 

81 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

17.9 

22. 8 

21.3 

15-3 

8.3 

Widowed: 







Number. 

6 ,956 

1,027 

1, 556 

1.534 

1,105 

735 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

14. 8 

22. 4 

22.1 

15 - 9 

10. 6 

Divorced: 

Number... 

176 

35 

60 

36 

10 

9 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

19. 9 

34 - 1 

20.4 

5 - 7 

5 - 1 


WOMEN MAINTAINING HOMES FOR— 


CONJUGAL STATUS. 

6 

persons. 

7 

persons. 

8 

persons. 

9 

persons. 

10 

persons. 

More 
than 10 
persons. 

Total: 

Number. 

5 . 95 ° 

3,564 

2, US 

1,162 

640 

667 

Per cent. 

9 - 5 

5 - 7 

3-4 

i -9 

1.0 

1.1 

Married: 







Number. 

5 , 474 

3,312 

1, 988 

1,093 

600 

606 

Per cent..:. 

9-9 

6. 0 

3- 6 

2. O 

1.1 

1.1 

Husband living with family— 







Number. 

5,428 

3, 264 

1,970 

1,083 

596 

59 i 

Per cent. 

9-9 

5 - 9 

3-6 

2.0 

1.1 

I. X 

Husband not living with family— 








46 

48 

18 

10 

4 

15 

Per cent.. 

4 - 7 

4-9 

1.9 

1.0 

0.4 

i -5 

Widowed: 






58 


465 

248 

124 

65 

39 


6. 7 

3 - 5 

1.8 

0.9 

0. 5 

0.8 

Divorced: 








11 

4 

3 

4 

1 

3 

Per cent. 

6. 2 

2-3 

i- 7 

3.3 

0. 6 

i -7 

















































































16 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


I 


As would be expected, the larger number of persons are in 
homes where the family is intact, just as the smaller families 
occur most frequently in broken homes. Six of every io women 
who maintain homes with a husband’s aid have 4 or more per¬ 
sons in their homes. Only 4 in every 10 widows or women whose 
husbands are permanently absent care for 4 or more persons. 

The largest single group of women, 13,350, or 2 in every 10 
women, care for 3 persons in their homes. Almost a like number 
of housekeepers, approximately 12,500, have, respectively, 2 and 4 
persons’ needs to attend. A decrease of 3,500 occurs between the 
number of homes maintained for 4 persons and the number main¬ 
tained for 5 persons, the latter number being about 8,900. A similar 
decrease takes place between the 5-person and 6-person households. 
After that the decrease is less, although regular for each increase 
in number of persons served. Three thousand five hundred homes 
contain 7 persons; a little over 2,000, 8 persons; approximately 
1,000, 9 persons; 640, 10 persons; and 667, more than 10 persons. 

To what extent children or paying boarders or lodgers make up 
these households will be seen in later tables. 

Children. 

Seven-tenths of the 74,467 married, widowed, and divorced 
women of Rochester have children in the family circle. Table 6 
shows that when the family maintains a home, nearly three-fourths, 
or 74 in every hundred, have children. In the case of women 
living with relatives, the number with children fell to 65 in every 
hundred, whereas among women boarding and lodging only 16 in 
every hundred have children with them. 

The contrast between the proportion of homes with children 
under varying domicile conditions is more marked in families 
where husband and wife live together. Where a home is main¬ 
tained by the husband and wife, three-fourths have children to 
foster. When the husband and wife live with their relatives, a 
little less than one-half have children with them. Only a sixth 
of the married couples who board or lodge have children. That 
children and home maintenance are bound together, these figures 
demonstrate beyond a doubt; but the figures do not indicate in 
any way the causal relationship between the two. 




THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


17 


Table 6.—Rochester Women With or Without Children in the 

Family Circle: 1920. 

[Per cent not shown where base is less than 100.] 


DOMICILS and conjugal status of women. 

TOTAL. 

WOMEN WITH 
CHILDREN. 

WOMEN WITHOUT 

children. 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

74 , 467 

IOO. 

0 

52, 984 

71. 2 

21,483 

28. 8 

Maintaining home, total. 

62, 693 

IOO. 

0 

46, 553 

74-3 

16, 140 

25- 7 

Married. 

55 . 561 

IOO. 

0 

41, 141 

74. 0 

14,420 

26. 0 

Husband living with family. 

54. 586 

IOO. 

0 

40, 437 

74. 1 

14, 149 

25-9 

Husband not living with family. 

975 

IOO. 

0 

704 

72. 2 

271 

27. 8 

Widowed. 

6, 956 

IOO. 

0 

5, 290 

76. 0 

i, 666 

24. 0 

Divorced. 

176 

IOO. 

0 

122 

69-3 

54 

30. 7 

Living with relatives, total. 

9 . 295 

IOO. 

0 

6, 038 

65. 0 

3 , 257 

35 -o 

Married. 

4 . 7i6 

IOO. 

0 

2,362 

50.1 

3,354 

49.9 

Husband living with family. 

3 , 786 

IOO. 

0 

1,847 

48.8 

1.939 

5 i- a 

Husband not living with family. 

930 

IOO. 

0 

5 i 5 

55-4 

415 

44. 6 

Widowed. 

4.449 

IOO. 

0 

3,615 

81.3 

834 

18.7 

Divorced. 

130 

IOO. 

0 

61 

46. 9 

69 

53 - 1 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

2, 479 

IOO. 

0 

393 

15-8 

2, 086 

84. 2 

Married. 

1.357 

IOO. 

0 

226 

16. 7 

1, 131 

83.3 

Husband living with family. 

948 

IOO. 

0 

158 

16. 7 

790 

83.3 

Husband not living with family. 

409 

IOO. 

0 

68 

16. 6 

34 i 

83-4 

Widowed. 

1. 033 

IOO. 

0 

157 

15. 2 

876 

84. 8 

Divorced . 

89 



IO 


79 








Figures concerning children given in Table 6 and succeeding 
tables must not be taken as representing the number of children 
born to a woman. These tables deal only with children living 
with parent or parents in 1920. A wife and husband may have 
reared a family of 10 children. If all 10 children had left the 
family home in 1920 and such home was being maintained by the 
wife for herself and husband only, such family would be listed as 
“without children in the household.” If, however, such a wife 
and husband had an adopted child with them, that child would be 
counted as 1 child in the household. Nor must “children” be 
thought of as young children only. Sons and daughters, regard¬ 
less of age, are counted among children when they reside in house¬ 
holds of which their mothers are heads. When they maintain 
their own families in an abode other than one for which their 
mothers are responsible, they cease to be counted officially as 
children and become men and women householders. 

Large families of children are infrequent in Rochester, as will be 
seen in Table 7. If all the children were divided among mothers as 
nearly evenly as possible, none would have more than 3 children, 
as the average number of children per family falls between 2 and 3* 
The largest single group of women, 39 out of every hundred, have 
35577°—23 - 3 





















































18 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


but i child in the family circle; 26 out of every hundred have 2 chil¬ 
dren each. Three-fifths of all the 124,611 children in Rochester 
families are mothered, therefore, by about one-third of the women. 

Even where homes are maintained, the largest number of 
mothers, or one-third of all, have but 1 child. About one-eighth 
have 5 or more children in their homes for whose welfare they are 
responsible. However, the wife with a household to manage has 
more children to look after than has the wife without household 
duties; for in the latter group two-thirds of those who live with 
relatives and have any children have but 1 child, whereas among 
wives who board or lodge over three-fourths have only 1 child. 

This situation may be due, in part, to the larger proportion of 
young married women among those who live with relatives or 
board or lodge. Only about 9 per cent of the women maintaining 
homes are under 24 years of age, whereas a third of those not 
maintaining homes are less than 24 years of age. This difference 
in the proportion of very young women in the two groups would 
be partially offset, however, by the fact that older women whose 
children have left the parental roof occur more frequently among 
the home-maintaining group. 


Table 7. —Rochester Women Who Are or Have Been Married and Who 
Have Specified Number of Children in the Family Circle: 1920. 1 

[Per cent not shown where base is less than ioo.] 


DOMICILE AND CONJUGAL STATUS OF 
MOTHERS. 

MOTHERS HAVING 
CHILDREN. 

MOTHERS I 

1 child. 

IAVTNG— 

2 children. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

52. 984 

100. 0 

20, 725 

39 - 1 

13, 823 

26. r 

Maintaining home, total. 

46, 553 

100. 0 

15,825 

34 - 0 

12, 751 

27. 4 

Married. 

41,141 

IOO. 0 

13, 730 

33-4 

11, 243 

27 - 3 

Husband living with family. 

40, 437 

IOO. 0 

13,442 

33-3 

11, 058 

27-3 

Husband not living with family. 

704 

IOO. 0 

288 

40. 9 

185 

26. 3 

Widowed. 

5, 290 

IOO. 0 

2,024 

38.2 

1, 476 

27. 9 

Divorced. 

122 

IOO. 0 

71 

58. 2 

32 

26. 2 

Living with relatives, total. 

6, 038 

IOO. 0 

4 , 585 

75-9 

1, 012 

16. 8 

Married. 

2,362 

IOO. 0 

x, 598 

67. 7 

503 

21. 3 

Husband living with family. 

1,847 

IOO. 0 

1, 220 

66. 1 

412 

22. 3 

Husband not living with family. 

5 i 5 

IOO. 0 

378 

73-4 

91 

17. 7 

Widowed. 

3,615 

IOO. 0 

2,940 

81.3 

497 

13 - 7 

Divorced. 

6 l 


47 


T 2 


Boarding and lodging, total. 

393 

IOO. 0 

315 

80. 2 

60 

15-3 

Married. 

226 

IOO. 0 

175 

77-4 

39 

17-3 

Husband living with family. 

158 

IOO. 0 

123 

77 - 9 

28 

17 - 7 

Husband not living with family. 

68 


52 


I T 


Widowed. 

157 

IOO. 0 

132 

84. 1 

19 

12. 1 

Divorced. 

IO 


8 












1 Includes only children actually living with their mothers, not the total numbers of children born to 
these mothers. 
































































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


19 


Table 7 .—Rochester Women Who Are or Have Been Married and Who 
Have Specified Number of Children in the Family Circle: 1920 1 —Con. 


MOTHERS HAVING— 


DOMICILE AND CONJUGAL STATUS OF 
MOTHERS. 

3 children. 

4 children. 

5 children. 

6 children. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

8, 172 

is -4 

4 . 737 

8.9 

2, 674 

5 - 1 

1,494 

2.8 

Maintaining home, total. 

7, 872 

16. 9 

4, 635 

IO. O 

2, 629 

5- 6 

1,485 

3 - 2 

Married. 

6, 978 

17. 0 

4 . 171 

IO. I 

2,375 

5-8 

1,368 

3-3 

Husband living with family. 

6, 860 

17. 0 

4, 121 

IO. 2 

2, 34 i 

5-8 

i, 3 Si 

3-3 

Husband not living with family. 

118 

16. 8 

SO 

7 - 1 

34 

4.8 

17 

2.4 

Widowed. 

884 

16. 7 

460 

8.7 

252 

4.8 

116 

2. 2 

Divorced. 

10 

8. 2 

4 

3-3 

2 

1. 6 

I 

0. 9 

Living with relatives, total. 

291 

4.8 

96 

1. 6 

43 

0. 7 

9 

0.1 

Married. 

174 

7-4 

57 

2.4 

24 

1. 0 

5 

0. 2 

Husband living with family. 

143 

7 - 7 

46 

2-5 

21 

1. 1 

4 

0. 2 

Husband not living with family. 

3 i 

6. 0 

11 

2. I 

3 

0. 6 

r 

0. 2 

Widowed. 

116 

3-2 

39 

1.1 

18 

0. s 

4 

O. I 

Divorced. 

I 




I 




Boarding and lodging, total. 

Q 

2 . 7 

6 

I. K 

2 

O. 5 



Married. 

6 

2 . 7 

4 

1. 8 

I 

O. 4 



Husband living with family. 

4 

2. < 

2 

I. 3 

I 

0. 6 



Husband not living with family. 

2 


2 






Widowed. 

3 

I. O 

2 

I. 3 

I 

0. 6 



Divorced. 



















DOMICILE and conjugal status of 

MOTHERS. 

MOTHERS HAVING— 

Aver¬ 
age 
chil¬ 
dren 
per 
moth¬ 
er. 1 

7 children. 

8 children. 

More than 8 
children. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

Maintaining home, total. 

Married. 

Husband living with family. 

Husband not living with family. 

Widowed. 

770 

i-5 

358 

0. 7 

231 

0.4 

2.4 

768 

719 

710 

9 

47 

2 

2 

1 

1 

1 . 6 

i- 7 

1.8 

1-3 

o. 9 

1. 6 

0. 1 

< 2 ) 

0.1 

357 

335 

332 

3 

22 

0 . 8 

0 . 8 

0.8 

0.4 

0.4 

231 

222 

222 

9 

o- 5 

o- 5 

0 . 5 

0 . 2 

2 . 5 

2-5 

2-5 

2 . 2 

2-3 

I- 7 

i-3 

i-5 

1-5 

1.4 

i-3 

i- 3 

i-3 

i-3 

i-3 

1.4 

1 . 2 

1 . 2 
















HnchonH Tint livincr with familv 






1 

0. 1 













1 

1 

0 . 2 

0.4 













UncKotiH tint liiriticr witll familv 



1 

























1 Includes only children actually living with their mothers, not the total numbers of children born to these 


mothers. 

* Less than one-tenth of i per cent. 


















































































































20 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER 


The ages of children in a family are indicative of the nature 
and intensity of responsibility resting upon the mother. As will 
be seen in Table 8, 20,000 Rochester women, or 38 in every hun¬ 
dred women with children, have children under 5 years of age. 
The proportion of women with such young children naturally is 
much larger among married women living with husbands. In 
such families it approximates one-half, the percentage being a 
little less where homes are maintained and more than one-half 
when wife and husband live with relatives or board or lodge. 
As every woman who has had children knows the constant care 
demanded by a baby or child under 5 years of age, there is no 
need to elaborate on the service rendered by these 20,000 Rochester 
women. 

Table 8.—Rochester Women Who Are or Have Been Married and Who Have 
Children of Specified Ages in School, at Home, or at Work: 1920. 

Iin some cases mothers had children in more than one of the age classes shown. The total number of 

mothers, therefore, is less than the total of the three classes.] 


domicile and conjugal status of mothers. 

MOTHERS HAVING 
CHILDREN. 

MOTHERS HAVING 
CHILDREN UNDER 
5 YEARS OP AGE- 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

52, 984 

100. 0 

20, 036 

37-8 

Maintaining home, total. 

46, 553 

100. 0 

18, 570 

39-9 

Married. 

41.141 

IOO. O 

18,325 

44 - 5 

Husband living with family. 

4 °, 437 

IOO. O 

18, 261 

45 - 2 

Husband not living with family. 

704 

IOO. 0 

64 

9 - 1 

Widowed.:. 

5. 290 

IOO. 0 

236 

4 - 5 

Divorced. 

122 

IOO. 0 

9 

7 - 4 

Living with relatives, total. 

6, 038 

IOO. O 

L 337 

22. 1 

Married. 

2,362 

IOO. 0 

1, 220 

5 i. 7 

Husband living with family. 

1, 847 

IOO. 0 

1,083 

58.6 

Husband not living with family. 

5 i 5 

IOO. O 

137 

26. 6 

Widowed. 

3.615 

IOO. O 

105 

2.9 

Divorced. 

6l 

0) 

12 

( l > 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

393 

IOO. 0 

129 

32.8 

Married. 

226 

IOO. O 

no 

48. 7 

Husband living with family. 

158 

IOO. 0 

86 

54 - 4 

Husband not living with family. 

68 

0) 

24 

f 1 ) 

Widowed. 

157 

IOO. 0 

15 

9. 6 

Divorced. 

10 

0 

4 

0) 


1 Per cent not shown where base is less than ioo. 
















































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


21 


Table 8.—Rochester Women Who Are or Have Been Married and Who 
Have Children op Specified Ages in School, at Home, or at Work: 1920— 
Continued. 


domicile and conjugal status of 

MOTHERS. 

MOTHERS HAVING CHILDREN 5 AND UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE— 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

At school. 

At home. 

At work. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

28, 853 

54 - 5 

24, 844 

1 86. 1 

5 , 273 

1 18. 2 

2 5 ,123 

117.8 

Maintaining home, total. 

27, 639 

59 - 4 

23. 873 

86.4 

5,034 

18. 2 

5,009 

18.1 

Married. 

25. 903 

63. 0 

22, 509 

86. 9 

4 , 854 

18.7 

4,360 

16. 8 

Husband living with family. 

25. 539 

63. 2 

22, 227 

87. 0 

4, 812 

18.8 

a 4, 239 

16. 6 

Husband not living with family.... 

364 

5 i. 7 

282 

77 - 5 

42 

ii -5 

b 121 

32. 2 

Widowed. 

1, 666 

3 i. 5 

1,308 

78.5 

179 

10. 7 

c 629 

37-8 

Divorced. 

70 

57-4 

56 

( 1 2 3 4 5 ) 

1 

( 3 ) 

d 20 

( 3 ) 

Living with relatives, total. 

i> 033 

17. 1 

834 

80. 7 

211 

20. 4 

90 

8.7 

Married. 

723 

30. 6 

587 

81. 2 

43 

5-9 

40 

5 - 5 

Husband living with family. 

539 

29. 2 

439 

81. 4 

13 

2.4 

e 23 

4-3 

Husband not living with family.... 

184 

35 - 7 

148 

80. 4 

30 

16.3 

e 17 

9. 2 

Widowed. 

281 

7-8 

227 

80. 8 

39 

13-9 

e 46 

16. 4 

Divorced. 

29 

( 3 ) 

20 

( 3 ) 

6 

( 3 > 

4 

( 3 ) 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

181 

46. 1 

137 

75 - 7 

28 

15-5 

24 

13-3 

Married. 

114 

50.4 

86 

75-4 

24 

21. 1 

9 

7-9 

Husband living with family. 

77 

48. 7 

58 

( 3 ) 

16 

( 3 ) 

e 5 

0 

Husband not living with family.... 

37 

( 3 ) 

28 

< 3 ) 

8 

( 3 ) 

4 

< 3 ) 

Widowed. 

63 

40. 1 

49 

< 3 ) 

3 

( 3 ) 

e 14 

( 3 ) 

Divorced. . . 

4 

( 3 ) 

2 

( 3 ) 

1 

( 3 ) 

1 

( 3 > 


MOTHERS HAVING CHILDREN 18 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER— 

Total. 

22, 399 

42.3 

1, 289 

4 5 -8 

5 , 776 

4 25. 8 

5 18,258 

4 81. 5 

Maintaining home, total. 

18, 210 

39 - 1 

1, 255 

6. 9 

3,589 

19. 7 

15,910 

87.5 

Married. 

13. 683 

33 - 3 

1, 120 

8. 2 

2, 634 

19. 2 

11, 824 

86.4 

Husband living with family. 

13 , 233 

32 . 7 

1, 101 

8.3 

2, 556 

19-3 

/i 1,405 

86. 2 

Husband not living with family.... 

450 

63- 9 

19 

4. 2 

78 

17-3 

b 419 

93 -1 

Widowed. 

4 . 459 

84- 3 

134 

3- 0 

949 

21. 3 

Q 4 , 019 

90.1 

Divorced. 

68 

55 - 7 

I 

( 3 ) 

6 

( 3 ) 

h 67 

( 3 > 

Living with relatives, total. 

4 . 077 

67 - 5 

23 

0. 6 

2, 179 

53-4 

2, 252 

55 - 2 

Married. 

725 

30 . 7 

10 

1.4 

370 

51.0 

420 

57-9 

Husband living with family. 

484 

26. 2 

8 

i- 7 

258 

53-3 

268 

55-4 

Husband not living with family.... 

241 

46.8 

2 

0. 8 

112 

46. 5 

h 152 

63.1 

Widowed. 

3,327 

92. O 

13 

0.4 

1, 800 

54 - 1 

d 1, 813 

54 - 5 

Divorced. 

2 < 

( 3 ) 



9 

( 3 ) 

19 

( 3 ) 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

112 

28. 5 

11 

9.8 

8 

7 - 1 

96 

85-7 

Married. 

24 

10. 6 

5 

< 3 ) 

2 

( 3 ) 

19 

( 3 ) 

Hnc;hnnd living with familv. 

IO 

6. 3 

4 

( 3 ) 



6 

( 3 ) 

Husband not living with family.... 

14 

< 3 ) 

1 

( 3 ) 

2 

( 3 ) 

13 

< 3 ) 

Widowed. 

85 

54 - 1 

5 

( 3 ) 

6 

( 3 ) 

d 75 

( 3 ) 

Divorrerl . 


( 3 ) 

1 

( 3 ) 



2 

( 3 ) 










1 Percentages based on number having children 5 and under 18 years of age. 

2 429 mothers had children who were employed but also attended school. These were distributed 
according to note letter as follows: a 375; b 5; c 36; d 3; e 2. 

3 Per cent not shown where base is less than 100. 

4 Percentages based on number having children 18 years of age and over. 

5 324 mothers had children who were employed but also attended school. These were distributed 
according to note letter as follows: /271; b 5; g 40; h 1; d 3. 













































































22 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


A larger number—almost 29,000, or 54 out of every hundred 
mothers—have children between the ages of 5 and 18. While 
the older children in this group do not demand the same kind of 
service on the part of the mother as do the younger ones, the 
responsibility for their care is no less. Some of these mothers un¬ 
doubtedly had children under 5 or over 18 years of age in addi¬ 
tion to children between 5 and 18 years; but as the figures for 
each age group given in Table 8 are not mutually exclusive—that 
is, the table does not show how many mothers have children in one 
age group only nor how many have children in two and three 
age groups—it is not possible to determine how much overlapping 
occurs. 

The children between 5 and 18 years of age of most Rochester 
mothers are at school, the mothers thus being relieved of im¬ 
mediate responsibility for a part of the day. As the compulsory 
school laws of New York State do not require school attendance 
until 7 years of age, in all probability many of the 5,000 women 
whose children are at home have children 5 and 6 years of age. 
The state laws do not permit regular employment of children 
during the school session until they are 14 years of age and then 
only when they have completed the eight primary grades. Con¬ 
sequently, most of the children between 5 and 18 years of age 
who were at work from 5,123 Rochester families were probably 
between 14 and 18 years of age. 

Children 18 years of age and over are an asset as well as a lia¬ 
bility. How much service they demand from the 22,000 mothers 
with whom they live in Rochester and how much service they 
render in the home were not told in the census records. In 
5,776 homes children of this age stay at home and can be held 
responsible, in part, for care of younger children during the 
mother’s absence or while she attends to other duties; but in the 
majority of families the children over 18 years of age are at 
work. 

Taws making attendance upon school compulsory between the 
ages of 7 and 14 years, and up to 16 years when the sixth grade 
has not been completed, and laws providing for part-time or con¬ 
tinuation class work for children between 14 and 18 years of age, 
in themselves reflect State and community standards; and figures 
showing school attendance or nonattendance among children 
under 18 years of age represent compliance or lack of compliance 
with the law. Among children 18 years old and over, however, 





THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


23 


for whom there is no governmental school regulation, figures show¬ 
ing how many mothers continue to send their children to school, 
permit them to stay at home, or have them at work, convey a 
self-imposed personal standard. In Rochester, of the approx¬ 
imately 22,000 homes with children 18 years of age or older, 6 in 
every hundred have children of this age at school. Most of the 
families who give their children higher educational advantages 
are families in which the father and mother together are main¬ 
taining homes. Very few disrupted homes send children 18 years 
of age and over to school. 

Eighty-one out of every hundred families with children 18 years 
of age and over have children of this age at work, the percentage 
being highest where homes are maintained by mothers only, 
although actual numbers are greatest, of course, where father and 
mother together maintain homes. Out of the entire 18,258 
mothers with children of this age at work, only 324 mothers have 
such children who are availing themselves of evening-school 
instruction afforded by the city. 

Breadwinning Home-makers. 

In addition to household and family responsibilites, or in place 
of such responsibilities, 20,782 married, widowed, and divorced 
women in Rochester, or 28 in every hundred, earn some money to 
add to the family income. About 12,000, or 16 out of every hun¬ 
dred, women who are or have been married take boarders or 
lodgers. The average number of boarders or lodgers is 2. Less 
than 800 women have found other means of adding to the income 
and remaining at home. More than 9,000, or 13 in every hundred, 
married, widowed, or divorced women in Rochester go away from 
their own homes daily to work in stores, factories, offices, or other 
homes. The city’s factories employ these women in largest num¬ 
bers. 

The report on occupations, issued by the Bureau of the Census, 
does not include among working women those who supplement 
family earnings by taking boarders or lodgers. The instructions 
to census enumerators read: “Keeping boarders or lodgers should 
be returned as an occupation if the person engaged in it relies upon 
it as his (or her) principal means of support or principal source of 
income. In that case the return should be ‘ keeper—boarding house ’ 
or ‘ keeper—lodging housed If, however, a family keeps a few 
boarders or roomers merely as a means of supplementing or eking 


f 



24 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


out the earnings or income obtained from other occupations or 
from other sources, no one in the family should be returned as a 
boarding or lodging house keeper.”* 

From a comparison, therefore, of the figures given for Rochester 
in the Fourteenth Census report on occupations with the figures 
in this report on The Woman Home-maker, it is obvious that the 
great majority of Rochester women who keep boarders or lodgers 
do so to supplement earnings of other members of the family or 
their own income from other sources. For, while there are 11,845 
women who are or have been married and are taking boarders 
or lodgers, the entire number of single, married, widowed, or 
divorced women who consider themselves as boarding house or 
lodging house keepers is but 325. 

Table 9 .—Rochester Women Who Are or Have Been Married and Who Are 
or Are Not Working for Money in Their Own Homes or Outside Their 
Homes: 1920. 

[Per cent not shown where base is less than 100.] 


domicile; and conjugal status op women. 

TOTAL. 

WOMEN NOT 
WORKING FOR 
MONEY. 

WOMEN 
WORKING 
FOR MONEY. 

WOMEN 
WORKING 
FOR MONEY 
OUTSIDE 
THEIR HOMES. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

74 . 467 

IOO. O 

53, 685 

72. 1 

20, 782 

27-9 

1 9 , 379 

12. 6 

Maintaining homes, total. 

62, 693 

IOO. O 

45 , 33 i 

72.3 

17,362 

27. 7 

a 6, no 

9 - 7 

Married. 

55 . 561 

IOO. 0 

41, 506 

74 - 7 

14- 055 

25-3 

4 , 456 

8. 0 

Husband living with family. 

54. 586 

IOO. 0 

41, 122 

75 - 3 

13, 464 

24. 7 

b 4, 070 

7 - 5 

Husband not living with family. 

975 

IOO. 0 

384 

39 - 4 

59 i 

60. 6 

c 386 

39 - 6 

Widowed. 

6, 956 

IOO. 0 

3 , 784 

54 - 4 

3 , 172 

45 - 6 

d 1,556 

22. 4 

Divorced. 

176 

IOO. 0 

4 i 

23 - 3 

i 35 

76. 7 

e 98 

55 - 7 

Living with relatives, total. 

9 , 295 

IOO. 0 

7 , 148 

76. 9 

2, 147 

23. 1 

/2, 047 

22. O 

Married. 

4, 716 

IOO. 0 

3 . 449 

73 - 1 

1, 267 

26. 9 

1, 227 

26.0 

Husband living with family. 

3 . 786 

IOO. 0 

2, 980 

78 . 7 

806 

21.3 

(7789 

20. 8 

Husband not living with family. 

930 

IOO. 0 

469 

50. 4 

461 

49. 6 

9 438 

47. 1 

Widowed. 

4. 449 

IOO. 0 

3, 664 

82. 4 

78s 

17. 6 

h 734 

16. 5 

Divorced. 

130 

IOO. 0 

35 

26. 9 

95 

73- 1 

86 

66. 2 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

2.479 

IOO. 0 

1, 206 

48. 6 

1, 273 

51-4 

1, 222 

49- 3 

Married. 

L357 

IOO. 0 

724 

53-4 

6 33 

46.6 

626 

46. 1 

Husband living with family. 

948 

IOO. 0 

6ll 

64- 5 

337 

35- 5 

335 

35-3 

Husband not living with family. 

409 

IOO. 0 

113 

27. 6 

296 

72. 4 

291 

71. 1 

Widowed. 

1.033 

IOO. 0 

472 

45- 7 

561 

54- 3 

519 

50. 2 

IJivorced. 

89 


10 


79 








77 



1 Includes 1,185 women who worked outside their homes and also took boarders or lodgers. These were 
distributed according to note letter as follows: a 1180; b 716; c 117; d 324; e 23; / 5 ; g 2 ; h 1. 

* United States Bureau of the Census: Instructions to Enumerators, Jan. 1, 1920, p. 34. 




























































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


25 


Table 9. —Rochester Women Who Are or Have Been Married and Who Are 
or Are Not Working for Money in Their Own Homes or Outside Their 
Homes: 1920—Continued. 


WOMEN WORKING FOR MONEY IN THEIR HOMES. 


domicile and conjugal status of women. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Taking boarders or 
lodgers. 

Other home 
work. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

u . 

O £ £ 

"2 T 3 41 

2 2 5 

E J 2 — 

> O O 
< 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Total. 

12, 588 

16. 9 

■ 

11,845 

15- 9 

1.8 

743 

1. 0 

Maintaining homes, total. 

12, 432 

19. 8 

n, 834 

18. 9 

1.8 

598 

1. 0 

Married. 

IP, 432 

18.8 

10,032 

18. 1 

I- 7 

400 

0. 7 

Husband living with family. 

10, no 

18. s 

9 , 746 

17. 9 

1. 7 

364 

0. 7 

Husband not living with family. 

322 

33 - 0 

286 

29 - 3 

2-3 

36 

3 - 7 

Widowed. 

1, 940 

27. 9 

1.748 

25 - 1 

2. 1 

192 

2. 8 

Divorced. 

60 

34 - 1 

54 

30 - 7 

2. 9 

6 

3-4 

Living with relatives, total. 

i°S 

1. 1 

11 

0. 1 

i -3 

94 

1. 0 

Married. 

44 

0. 9 

7 

0.1 

1. 1 

37 

0. 8 

Husband living with family. 

19 

o- 5 

5 

0. 1 

1. 0 

14 

0.4 

Husband not living with family. 

25 

2. 7 

2 

0. 2 

i-5 

23 

2- 5 

Widowed. 

52 

1. 2 

4 

0 . 1 

i- 5 

48 

1 . 1 

Divorced. 

Q 

6. 0 




0 

6. Q 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

Cl 

2. 1 




CT 

2- T 

Married. 

7 

0 . 5 




7 

O. < 

Husband living with family. 

2 

0. 2 




2 

O. 2 

Husband not living with family. 

C 

1. 2 




C 

I. 2 

Widowed. 

A2 

4 . 1 




42 

4. I 

Divorced. 

2 





2 











When comparing Table 19, in Chapter II of the occupations 
report, with Table 9 of this report, it must not be forgotten that 
the latter table does not take into account women living with 
employers, women living and working in institutions, nor women 
keeping and living in hotels or rooming houses, whereas the first- 
named report includes such women. 

The proportion of women who are earning some money is greatest 
among women who board or lodge. More than one-half of these 
women are remuneratively engaged. Naturally, all but a few go 
out into the business world to work. The proportion of women 
earning money is smallest among those who live with relatives— 
only 23 out of every hundred. 

Where homes are maintained, 17,362, or 28 in every hundred, 
women are adding something to family income by working for 
money. Although two-thirds earn money by taking boarders or 
lodgers, some 6,000 women householders fare forth from home to 
earn. Four thousand of the latter are women maintaining homes 
with the aid of husbands. 

35577°—23-4 































































26 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


That the majority of women working away from home are not 
women with small children is shown by Table io. Of approxi¬ 
mately 20,000 mothers having children under 5 years of age, 
955 » or 5 P er cent, are working in factories, stores, offices, restau¬ 
rants, or other homes, while 2,680 of the 28,853 women with 
children between 5 and 18 years are similarly engaged. 


Table 10 .—Rochester Mothers Working for Money Inside or Outside the 

Home, by Ages of Children: 1920. 


mothers having 

CHILDREN. 

TOTAL. 

MOTHERS 
NOT WORK¬ 
ING FOR 
MONEY. 

MOTHERS 
WORKING 
FOR MONEY. 

MOTHERS WORKING FOR 
MONEY OUTSIDE HOME. 

MOTHERS 
WORKING 
FOR MONEY 
INSIDE 
HOME. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Hai 
other £ 
pen 
livir 
hon 

Num¬ 

ber. 

dng 
idult 1 
sons 
ig in 
ne. 

Per 

cent. 2 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Under 5 years of age. 

20, 036 

100. 0 

IS, 757 

78.6 

4 . 279 

21.4 

8 9 SS 

4.8 

190 

19. 9 

3 , 4 Si 

17. a 

5 years and under 18 













years of age. 

28, 853 

IOO. O 

21,438 

74 - 3 

7 , 4 i 5 

25 - 7 

4 2, 689 

9-3 

399 

14. 9 

5 , 144 

17.8 


1 “Adult” refers to persons 18 years of age and over. 

2 Percentages in this column based on number of mothers working for money outside home. 

3 127 are also earning money at home. 

4 418 are also earning money at home. 

Recapitulation of Responsibilities . 

Before touching upon the assistance which wives and mothers 
have in the performance of their duties, a summary of the facts as 
revealed in the foregoing pages shows certain well-defined per¬ 
sonal and family responsibilities. 

1. Ninety-two of every hundred women with husbands main¬ 
tain homes. In three-fourths of these homes there are children. 
One-half the mothers have 1 or more babies or children under 5 
years of age to nurture; two-thirds of the mothers have children 
between 5 and 18 years of age for whom they are responsible. 
In one-fourth of the homes, wives or mothers also assist with the 
financial burden of the home and family by earning money. 
Among the 13,464 money-earning wives and home-makers are 
3,841 mothers, or 28 in every hundred, who have children less 
than 5 years of age, and 5,704 mothers, or 42 in every hundred, 
who have children between the ages of 5 and 18 years. 

2. Eight of every hundred wives who are living with husbands 
are domiciled with relatives or board or lodge. Two-fifths of 







































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


27 


these couples have children. Mothers with children under 5 years 
of age form almost six-tenths, and mothers with children between 
5 and 18 years of age, over three-tenths of the group. Wives 
or mothers add to the family income in one-fourth of the cases. 
Among the i,i43 money-earning wives and mothers living with 
relatives or boarding or lodging, 9 in every hundred have children 
less than 5 years of age, and 10 in every hundred have children 5 
and under 18 years of age. 

3. Fifty-four of every hundred women whose families are 
without fathers—whether through death, divorce, or because the 
father is living elsewhere though not divorced or legally separated 
from the wife—continue to maintain homes. There are children 
in three-fourths of these homes. But only one-twentieth of 
these mothers have children less than 5 years of age, although 
one-third have children between 5 and 18 years of age. Almost 
one-half of these home-makers with broken conjugal ties also 
work for money; 4 in every hundred are mothers of very young 
children, and 18 in every hundred have children 5 and under 18 
years of age. 

4. Forty-six of every hundred women whose families are 
without fathers live with relatives or board or lodge. Five- 
eighths of these women have children. Only 7 in every hundred 
mothers have children less than 5 years of age; 14 in every hun¬ 
dred mothers have children between 5 and 18 years of age. About 
a third of these women are earning money. Among earning 
women, 7 in every hundred have very young children, and 17 in 
every hundred have children between 5 and 18 years of age. 

Household Assistance Rendered Women. 

In 1920, 3,137 men and women living in Rochester reported 
their occupation as “servant.” The number of homes these peo¬ 
ple served, however, is not reported on the census schedule, for 
only when servants live with employers are they listed with the 
households they work for. Actual numbers of homes having paid 
help, therefore, can be ascertained from population census data only 
for “living-in” servants. Table 11, therefore, when referring to 
paid servants, includes only such servants as reside in the homes 
of the employers. The table shows that 1,247 women who main¬ 
tain homes have such servants. Bess than 2 in every hundred 
households having very j^oung children have such service. 

Undoubtedly more aid is rendered women heads of families by 
adult 1 daughters or other relatives staying at home than by paid 


1 “Adult” refers to persons 18 years of age and over. 





28 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


service. Where homes are maintained, 14 in every hundred have 
such adults from whom some assistance with household cares 
may be expected. The proportion of homes with young children 
that have an adult relative present, with whom the young chil¬ 
dren of the family can be left in the absence of the mother, is but 
9 in every hundred. 

Table 11. —Rochester Women Who Are or Have Been Married and Who 
Have Servants Living in Household or Adult 1 Daughters or Relatives 
at Home Who Could Help with Housework or with Care op Children: 


1920. 


WOMEN MAINTAINING HOMES. 

Total. 

Women 
having 
assist¬ 
ance in 
home. 

Women 

having 

paid 

serv¬ 

ants 

living 

in 

home. 2 3 4 5 

Women 
having 
adult 1 
daugh¬ 
ter or 
rela¬ 
tive at 
home. 

WOMEN NOT WORKING 
FOR MONEY. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Having 

paid 

serv¬ 

ants 

living 

in 

home. 

Having 
adult 1 
daugh¬ 
ter or 
rela¬ 
tive at 
home. 

With and without children: 








Number. 

62, 693 

9 . 757 

1. 247 

8, 510 

45.331 

1,100 

5 . 75 i 

Per cent. 

100. 0 

15- 6 

2 . O 

13- 6 

72.3 

2.4 

12. 7 

Having children under 5 years: 








Number. 

18, 570 

1.939 

336 

1,603 

14. 561 

307 

1,075 

Per cent. 

100. 0 

10. 4 

1. 8 

8.6 

78.4 

2.1 

7-4 

Having children 5 years and under 18 years: 








Number. 

27. 639 

4 . 073 

508 

3 . 565 

20, 727 

456 

2,456 

Percent. 

100. 0 

14. 7 

1.8 

12. 9 

75 - 0 

2.2 

11. 8 


WOMEN MAINTAINING HOMES. 

WOMEN WORKING FOR 
MONEY OUTSIDE HOME. 

WOMEN WORKING FOR 
MONEY IN HOME. 

Number. 

Having 
paid 
servants 
living 
in home. 

Having 
adult 1 
daughter 
or rela¬ 
tive at 
home. 

Number. 

Having 
paid 
servants 
living 
in home. 

Having 
adult 1 
daughter 
or rela¬ 
tive at 
home. 

With and without children: 







Number. 

3 6, no 

57 

662 

12,432 

103 

2, 280 

Per cent. 

9 - 7 

0. 9 

10. 8 

19. 8 

0. 8 

18 4 

Having children under 5 years: 







Number. 

4 696 

12 

117 

3.439 

20 

441 

Per cent. 

3 - 7 

1. 7 

16.8 

18. 5 

a 6 

12. 8 

Having children 5 years and under 18 years: 







Number. 

5 2, 211 

25 

291 

5 , ii 7 

34 

902 

Per cent. 

8.0 

1. 1 

13 - 2 

18. 4 

0. 7 

17. 6 


1 “Adult” refers to persons 18 years of age and over. 

2 13 women living with relatives and i woman who boarded had paid servants living with them. 

3 1,180 women were also working for money at home; 13 had servants and 183 had adufcK datives at home. 

4 126 women were also working for money at home; 3 had servants and 30 had adult relatives at home. 

5 416 women were also working for money at home; 7 had servants and 84 had adult relatives at home. 


































































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


29 


Among women who maintain homes and are not remuneratively 
engaged, 24 in a thousand have paid servants living with them and 
127 in each thousand have relatives who may assist them in the 
housework or with the children. Of women with household duties 
who go out to earn money, only 9 in a thousand have paid 
help for care of home in their absence, while 108 in a thousand 
leave adult relatives at home. When remuneratively engaged in 
the home, only 8 in every thousand housewives have such paid 
help, while 184 have daughters or other relatives who can render 
service. 

In Rochester, therefore, about 53,000 women maintaining homes, 
or 85 in every hundred, have neither paid servants living in their 
homes nor adult relatives at home to depend upon for assistance 
in the housework or with the children. How many of these homes 
are served to some extent by the fewer than 1,876 servants not 
living with employers 1 can not be determined, but if each of these 
servants went to a different home on each of the seven days of the 
week, there would still be approximately 40,000 homes without 
any service at all. 

Although most mothers of young children do not leave their 
homes and children to earn bread in mills, stores, offices, or restau¬ 
rants, for the few that do the question as to the persons with 
whom these young children are left is an important one in the 
community. Of the 955 mothers so engaged and having children 
under 5 years of age 190 have an adult person living in the home, 
as shown in Table 10, page 26. Of the 2,689 with children between 
5 and 18 years of age, 399 leave their children in the surety that 
some one is at hand to care for them when not at school. It is 
probable that some of the 765 working mothers with very young 
children and some of the 2,290 with children from 5 to 18 years 
hire help to care for these babies and young children by the day 
or leave them in day nurseries provided for such purposes, but 
the number of these temporarily motherless young children for 
whom adequate care is provided is not revealed by the census 
schedules. 

1 As some of the 1,261 women having servants working and sleeping in their homes have more than one 
servant, the actual number of servants who do not live with employers can not be determined from these 
figures. But by subtracting the number of employers’ homes in which servants live (1,261) from the total 
number of servants in Rochester (3,137) the possible maximum number of servants going out to work by 
the day or week (1,876) can be ascertained. 






30 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


Breadwinners in Family . 

In more than one-half of the families where conjugal ties are 
unbroken the husband or father is the sole breadwinner. Only 
a few such families have wives or mothers alone working for money. 
But in almost 10,500 homes, or in 19 out of every hundred homes 
maintained by husband and wife, both husband and wife are 
earning money to meet home expenses. While few homes have 
breadwinners solely among children, 5 in every hundred homes 
depend on the earnings of mother, father, and children. This 
information is contained in Table 12. 

It is a fact worthy of note that the families in which father 
and mother are both working for money are slightly smaller in 
average size than those in which the father is the sole breadwinner, 
whereas the families in which children are at work are of larger 
average size. 


Table 12.—Members of Rochester Families Working for Money: 1920. 

[Per cent not shown where base is less than ioo.] 


DOMICILE AND CONJUGAL STATUS OF 
WOMAN HEAD OF FAMILY. 

TOTAL. 

MEMBER OR MEMBERS OF FAMILY WORKING 
MONEY. 

FOR 

Husband only. 

Wife or widow 
only. 

Children only. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Total . 

74.467 

IOO. 0 

33. 200 

44.6 

3-5 

4, 280 

5 - 7 

1. 6 

5 .429 

7-3 

3- 2 

Maintaining home, total. 

62, 693 

IOO. 0 

29, 991 

47-8 

3-6 

2, 251 

3-6 

1.8 

3,472 

5 - 5 

3 - 7 

Married. 

55 . 56 i 

IOO. 0 

29, 99i 

54 -o 

3- 6 

518 

0. 9 

2.1 

737 

i -3 

4-3 

Husband living with family. 

54 . 586 

IOO. 0 

29, 99i 

54-9 

3-6 

i 57 

o -3 

2.8 

491 

0.9 

4 6 

Husband not living with family.... 

975 

IOO. 0 




36l 

2 7 . O 

1. 7 

2^6 

25. 2 

t. 7 

Widowed. 

6 , 0*6 

IOO. 0 




i. 6 so 


1. 7 

2, 716 


Divorced. 

176 

IOO. 0 




7 A 


1. 6 


74 

Diving with relatives, total. 

9 , 295 

IOO. 0 

2, 630 

28. 3 

2. 8 

1,132 

12. 2 

1. 6 

1.895 

20.4 

2. 5 

Married. 

4. 716 

IOO. 0 

2, 630 

55-8 

2. 8 

423 

9.0 

1. 6 

204 

4-3 

2.9 

Husband living with family. 

3 . 786 

IOO. 0 

2, 630 

69. 5 

2.8 

4 

0.1 

2. O 

83 

2. 2 

3 - 5 

Husband not living with family.... 

0*0 

IOO. 0 




410 

45.1 

i.*6 




Widowed. 

A . 440 

IOO. 0 




622 

1. 6 




Divorced. 

1*0 

IOO. 0 




87 


1. c 


O /• ° 

A , 4 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

2,479 

IOO. 0 

579 

23-3 

2. 2 

897 

36.2 

1.1 

62 

/* / 

2-5 

2 - 5 

Married. 

1,357 

IOO. 0 

579 

42. 7 

2. 2 

293 

21. 6 

1.2 

9 

0. 7 

3-6 

Husband living with family. 

948 

IOO. 0 

579 

61. 1 

2. 2 

4 

O. 4 

2. 3 




Husband not living with family.... 

409 

IOO. 0 



289 

70 . 7 

1. 2 




Widowed. 

1, 033 

IOO. 0 




C26 

50.9 

T. T 



d’ u 

Divorced. 

89 





78 

1.1 



O 









3 * 0 































































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


31 


Table 12.—Members of Rochester Families Working for Money: 1920—Con. 


domicile and conjugal status of 

WOMAN HEAD OF FAMILY. 

9 

MEMBER OR y 

Husband and 
wife. 

[EMBERS OF FA 
FOR MONEY. 

Father or 
mother and 
children. 

MILY WORKING 

Father and 
mother and 
children. 

NO MEMBER 

IN FAMILY 
WORKING FOR 
MONEY. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

u 

QJ . 

■Q >> 
H 

3 a 

> S 3 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

u 

<u . 
>» 

11 

s 3 « 

> a 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

U 

0) . 
rQ >> 

r-f 

3 a 

a rt 

> a 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

<L> • 

^ >> 

11 
a rt 

> a 

Total. 

xi, 582 

IS-6 

3 - 2 

12, 459 

16. 7 

4 * 8 

2, 754 

3 - 7 

4. 8 

4 . 763 

6. 4 

1.8 

Maintaining home, total. 

10, 472 

16. 7 

3 - 3 

12, 024 

19. 2 

4.9 

2, 732 

4. 4 

4. 8 

1* 75 i 

2.8 

2.0 

Married. 

10, 472 

18.8 

3 - 3 

10, 450 

18.8 

5-2 

2, 732 

4 - 9 

4 * 8 

661 

1. 2 

2.5 

Husband living with family. 

10, 472 

19. 2 

3-3 

IO, 220 

18. 7 

S- 2 

2, 732 

5 -o 

4. 8 

523 

1. 0 

2. 6 

Husband not living with family.... 




220 

21. 6 

3 - 2 






2. O 

Widowed. 




I. SI* 

21. 7 

3. 2 




T, 06ft 


I. 7 

Divorced . 




6l 

24 . 7 

2. 7 






r. 8 

Diving with relatives, total. 

780 

8.4 

2.4 

383 

4.1 

3- 0 

20 

O. 2 

3-8 

2. 455 

26. 4 

1.8 

Married. 

780 

16. 5 

2. 4 

213 

4 - S 

3 - 5 

20 

0.4 

3-8 

446 

9 - 5 

1.9 

Husband living with family. 

780 

20. 6 

2. 4 

172 

4 - S 

3-6 

20 

0. 5 

3-8 

97 

2. 6 

2. 8 

Husband not living with family. . .. 




41 

4 . 4 

2.8 




240 

2 * 7 . C 

i. 7 

Widowed . 




160 

2. 6 

2. 4 




T. 086 


1. 8 

Divorced. 




10 

7 . 7 

2. 2 




22 

17 . 7 

I. 2 

Boarding or lodging, total . 

330 

13-3 

2. I 

52 

2. I 

2. 6 

2 

0.1 

3 - 5 

557 

22.5 

1.1 

Married. 

330 

24 - 3 

2. I 

16 

1.2 

3- 2 

2 

O. I 

3 - 5 

128 

9.4 

1.4 

Husband living with family. 

330 

34 - 8 

2. I 

10 

1.1 

3-8 

2 

O. 2 

3 - 5 

23 

2.4 

2.4 

Husband not living with family.... 




6 

I. 4 

2. 2 




IO< 

2 2 . 7 

I. 2 

Widowed. 




2«C 

2 . 4 

2. 3 




420 

40.7 

I. O 

Divorced. 




•J J 

I 


2. O 




9 

I. I 















Among married couples living with relatives, almost seven- 
tenths of the husbands are sole breadwinners, while in two-tenths 
of such families husbands and wives both" work. Here, too, the 
average family is slightly smaller in the latter case. Among 
married couples boarding or lodging six-tenths of the husbands 
are the only members of the family group remuneratively 
engaged, whereas in more than one-third of such families there 
are working husbands and wives. Whether boarding or lodging 
tends to send wives into the business world to earn money, or 
whether working in the business world results in the family’s 
boarding or lodging, is not of such immediate concern here as 
that the two conditions are obviously associated. 

Widows who maintain homes are more largely dependent upon 
children for support than upon their own efforts. Twenty-four in 
every hundred widows are remuneratively engaged, whereas 39 in 





































































32 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


every hundred depend, in part at least, upon their children’s 
earnings. In 3 of every hundred homes, widowed mother and 
children together labor for the family income. 

More widows living with relatives are without wage earners in 
their immediate families than any other group of women. In all 
probability some of these women have means of their own, while 
others depend for support upon sons, daughters, or other relatives 
not members of their immediate families. 

Women who are divorced or, although not legally separated, 
are not living with husbands are more inclined to depend upon 
their own earnings than any other group of women included in 
this study. Some hundreds are supported by other means than 
service from members in their own families, but more women 
whose marriage has met with failure support themselves and fam¬ 
ilies by their own efforts or with the aid of children. 


Table: 13 .—Number of Members in Rochester Families Working for Money: 

1920. 

[Per cent not shown where base is less than ioo.] 


DOMICILE AND CONJUGAL STATUS OF 
WOMAN HEAD OF FAMILY. 

TOTAL. 

families having specified number of 

WORKING FOR MONEY. 

MEMBERS 

1 member. 

2 members. 

3 members. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Total. 

74 , 467 

3 - 5 

40, 601 

54 5 

3- 2 

19,425 

26. 1 

3 - 4 

5 , 723 

7 - 7 

4 < 3 

Maintaining home, total. 

62, 693 

3 - 7 

33 , 703 

53-8 

3 - 4 

17, 718 

28. 3 

3 - 5 

5, 602 

8.9 

4.8 

Married. 

55 , 561 

3-8 

30 , 853 

55 - 5 

3 - 5 

15,923 

28. 7 

3- 6 

4 , 774 

8.6 

5- 0 

Husband living with family. 

54 , 586 

3-9 

30 , 392 

55 - 7 

3- 6 

15, 702 

28.8 

3- 6 

4, 672 

• 8-5 

5 - 0 

Husband not living with family.... 

975 

2. 6 

461 

47-3 

x. 9 

221 

22. 6 

3- 0 

102 

10. 5 

4 2 

Widowed. 

6, 956 

2. 7 

2, 766 

39 - 7 

2. O 

1,741 

25. 0 

2-9 

820 

11. 8 

4 - 1 

Divorced. . 

176 

2. 2 

84 

47 - 7 

i. 6 

54 

30. 7 

2. 5 

8 

4. 6 

3 - 6 

Living with relatives, total. 

9 , 295 

2-3 

5 , 367 

57-8 

2. 4 

1,332 

14 3 

2. 6 

108 

I. 2 

4. 2 

Married. 

4, 716 

2 - 5 

3, 2x5 

68. 2 

2. 6 

991 

21. O 

2. 6 

49 

1.0 

4 - 2 

Husband living with family. 

3 , 786 

2. 7 

2, 701 

7 i- 3 

2. 8 

936 

24 7 

2 . 5 

4 i 

I. I 

4 - 2 

Husband not living with family.... 

930 

1.8 

514 

55-3 

I. 7 

55 

5 - 9 

2. 8 

8 

0.9 

3-9 

Widowed. 

4,449 

2. 0 

2,057 

46. 2 

2. 0 

332 

7 - 5 

2. 9 

56 

i- 3 

4 3 

Divorced. 

130 

1. 6 

95 

73 - 1 

1. 6 

9 

6. 9 

2. I 

3 

2 - 3 

33 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

2, 479 

1. 6 

1, 53 i 

61. 8 

1. 6 

375 

15 - 1 

2. I 

13 

o. 5 

4 - 1 

Married. 

357 

1.9 

879 

64. 8 

1. 9 

343 

25 - 3 

2. I 

6 

0. 4 

5-3 

Husband living with family. 

948 

2. 2 

583 

61. 5 

2. 2 

337 

35 - 6 

2. I 

4 

0. 4 

4 - 5 

Husband not living with family.... 

409 

1. 2 

296 

72.4 

1.2 

6 

1. 4 

2. 2 

2 

0. 5 

7. 0 

Widowed. 

1.033 

1. 2 

574 

55 - 5 

1.2 

31 

3- 0 

2. 2 

6 

0. 6 

3-0 

Divorced. 

89 

I. I 

78 


1.1 












3- 0 



3 - 0 


























































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


33 


Table 13. —Number or Members in Rochester Families Working for Money: 

1920—Continued. 


y 

DOMICILE AND CONJUGAL STATUS OF 
WOMAN HEAD OF FAMILY. 

FAMILIES HAVING SP 
MEMBERS WORK! 

4 members. 

ECIFIED NUMBER OF 
ENG FOR MONEY. 

5 members or more. 

NO MEMBER IN 
FAMILY WORKING 
FOR MONEY. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 

in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 

in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 

in family. 

Total. 

2, 5*1 

3 - 4 

5-9 

1. 444 

1.9 

7 - 4 

4 . 763 

6 . 4 

1.8 

Maintaining home, total. 

2, 486 

3-9 

5-9 

1. 433 

2-3 

7-4 

i» 75 i 

2.8 

2. 0 

Married. 

2, 114 

3-8 

6. 1 

I. 236 

2. 2 

7-5 

661 

I. 2 

2 - 5 

Husband living with family. 

2, 078 

3-8 

6. 1 

1, 219 

2. 2 

7-5 

523 

1.0 

2. 6 

Husband not living with family. ... 

36 

3 - 7 

S-o 

17 

i- 7 

7-1 

138 

14.2 

2. O 

Widowed. 

366 

5-3 

5 - 1 

195 

2.8 

6. 7 

1, 068 

15-4 

i- 7 

Divorced. 

6 

3-4 

5-5 

2 

1.1 

7.0 

22 

12. 5 

1.8 

Living with relatives, total. 

23 

0. 2 

5 - 3 

10 

0.1 

6-3 

2, 455 

26. 4 

1.8 

Married. 

11 

0. 2 

5- 2 

4 

0.1 

6 . 5 

446 

9 - 5 

i- 9 

Husband living with family. 

8 

0. 2 

5 - 1 

3 

0.1 

6. 7 

97 

2. 6 

2.8 

Husband not living with family.... 

3 

o -3 

5-3 

1 

0.1 

6. 0 

349 

37 - 5 

i. 7 

Widowed. 

12 

0. 3 

5-4 

6 

0.1 

6 . 2 

1, 986 

44. 6 

1. 8 

Divorced. 







23 

17. 7 

I. 3 

Boarding or lodging, total. 

2 

0. 1 

4.0 

I 

( l ) 

6. 0 

557 

32 . S 

1.1 

Married. 

I 

O. I 

4 . O 




128 

Q. 4 

I. 4 

Husband living with family. 

I 

O. I 

4. 0 




23 

2 . 4 

2 . 4 

Husband not living with family.... 






IO*> 

2 Z. 7 

I. 2 

Widowed. 

1 

0. 1 

4. 2 

I 

O. I 

6. 0 

420 

40.7 

I. O 

Divorced. 







Q 


I. I 












1 Less than one-tenth of x per cent. 


Table 13 shows how many persons per family are remuneratively 
engaged in Rochester. As would be expected from the foregoing 
table, the largest number of Rochester families, or 55 of every 
hundred, have but 1 breadwinner each. Twenty-six families per 
hundred have 2 breadwinners, 8 per hundred have 3 breadwinners, 3 
per hundred have 4 breadwinners, and 2 families per hundred have 
5 or more breadwinners. As would be expected, also, the number 
of members in a family earning money is directly connected with 
the total number of members in the family, as is shown by Table 
13. When 1 or 2 members of the family only are remuneratively 
engaged, there are between 3 and 4 members to the average 
family. When 3 persons become breadwinners, the family aver¬ 
ages about 5 members; when 4 enter the earning lists, the family 
has 6 members; and when 5 or more members are breadwinners, 
the family averages 7 members. 






















































34 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


In this connection the important indirect service rendered by 
the American woman home-maker to industry, commerce, and 
the professions should not be overlooked. The efficiency of 
wage earners, salaried officials, and active proprietors alike is 
dependent in large measure upon the sufficiency of proper food 
and home care. The public has for many years conceded a 
place in the official census of occupations to the woman who 
cares for the farm animals because she is a factor in productive 
labor. That the home-maker who cares for the productive 
laborers is compelling the public’s recognition of her claim to a 
place, this report is ample evidence. 

Comparison of American-born Women Home-makers and Foreign- 

born Women Home-makers. 

As has been previously stated (p. 14), almost two-thirds of 
the 74,467 women in Rochester who are or have been married 
are American born. No one foreign country has sent women to 
this city in very large numbers, there being a few thousand 
married, widowed, and divorced women here from Italy, Germany, 
Canada, Russia, England, Ireland, and Poland. The customs 
and habits of no single foreign country, therefore, dominate the 
foreign-born population of Rochester. 

The World War restricted immigration from 1914 until 1919. 
Consequently, the majority of foreign-born women in Rochester 
in 1920 had been in this country for 5 years or more. Excluding 
the 7,789 women born in British possessions, 76 per cent of the 
18,678 foreign-born wives and mothers had acquired a speaking 
knowledge of English in 1920. The proportion is greatest among 
women from Germany, only 5 in a hundred having as yet failed 
to acquire our language. As the ability to speak the language 
of the United States marks the desire to acquire the customs and 
ideals of America, such ability or lack of ability has an important 
bearing upon the home environment. The largest number of 
women who do not speak English are found among Italians, of 
whom almost one-half are without a speaking knowledge of our 
language. 



THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


35 


Table 14 . —Number and Per Cent of Foreign-Born Women 1 in Rochester 

Able or Unable to Speak English: 1920. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

TOTAL. 2 

WOMEN SPEAKING 
ENGLISH. 

WOMEN NOT 
SPEAKING ENGLISH. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Total. 

18, 678 

100.0 

14, 259 

76. 3 

4 . 4 i 9 

23 - 7 

Italy. 

6, 661 

100. 0 

3 . 653 

54 - 8 

3, 008 

45 - 2 

Germany. 

4 , 598 

100. 0 

4. 388 

95 - 4 

210 

4. 6 

Russia and Lithuania. 

2, 734 

IOO. O 

2, 258 

82. 6 

476 

17. 4 

Poland. 

1, 611 

IOO. O 

1.156 

71.8 

455 

28. 2 

All other countries. 

3, 074 

IOO. 0 

2, 804 

91 . 2 

270 

8.8 


1 Refers only to women who are or have been married. 

2 Women born in the British Empire are not included in this table. 


Because American women so far outnumber foreign women in 
Rochester, a comparison of differences in conditions among them 
must be couched in terms of proportions rather than actual 
numbers. 

Thus in Table 15, which follows, it will be seen that although 
the number of American women who are married and living in 
normal family groups far exceeds the number from any other 
country, the proportion of Americans is less than for three other 
countries. About 80 in every 100 American women are married 
and living with husbands, while 90 of every 100 Italian and 
Polish women, 88 among Russian, and 83 in every 100 women 
from other countries have the same status. The smallest propor¬ 
tion of married women living with husbands is found among 
Irish and Germans, in which nationalities widows are especially 
frequent. Divorced women, or women who for other reasons are 
not living with their husbands, are most numerous among Ameri¬ 
cans and Canadians. Four out of every 100 American and Cana¬ 
dian women in Rochester are so conditioned. 





































36 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


Table 15 .—Conjugal Status of American-Born Women and Foreign-Born 
Women in Rochester Who Are or Have Been Married: 1920. 


COUNTRY OP BIRTH. 

TOTAL. 

MARRIED, 

HUSBAND 

LIVING 

WITH FAMILY. 

MARRIED, 
HUSBAND 
NOT LIVING 
WITH FAMILY. 

WIDOWED. 

divorced. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

United States. 

48, 000 

IOO. O 

38,186 

79 - 5 

1, 778 

3 - 7 

7, 716 

l6. I 

320 

0. 7 

Foreign countries, total.. 

26, 467 

100. 0 

21,134 

79 - 9 

536 

2. O 

4, 722 

17.8 

75 

0.3 

Italy. 

6,661 

IOO. 0 

s. 996 

90. O 

65 

I. O 

593 

8. 9 

7 

0.1 

Germany. 

4 . 598 

IOO. 0 

3. 069 

66. 7 

102 

2. 2 

1, 415 

30. 8 

12 

0. 3 

Canada. 

3 . 904 

IOO. 0 

2, 910 

74 , 6 

142 

3- 6 

829 

21. 2 

23 

0. 6 

Russia and Lithuania. 

2, 734 

IOO. 0 

2,418 

88.5 

50 

1.8 

261 

9 - 5 

5 

0. 2 

England. 

00 

M 

M 

IOO. 0 

1, 603 

75 - 7 

59 

2. 8 

443 

20. 9 

13 

a 6 

Ireland. 

1, 767 

IOO. 0 

1,136 

64-3 

44 

2. 5 

584 

33 -o 

3 

O. 2 

Poland. 

1, 611 

IOO. 0 

1. 452 

90. 1 

23 

1.4 

131 

8. 2 

5 

0.3 

All other countries. 

3 . 074 

IOO. 0 

2, 550 

82. 9 

51 

i- 7 

466 

15 - 2 

7 

O. 2 


The tendency of married women and widows and divorcees to 
maintain homes for their families is most marked among the 
Russians and Lithuanians, and Poles. Over 91 in every 100 women 
of these races are home-makers, whereas among Americans the 
proportion is 83 per 100. Boarding and lodging occurs most 
frequently among American, Canadian, and English women, 
whereas Germans show an inclination to live with relatives. The 
number of widows among German women probably accounts for 
this tendency. 


Table 16 .—Domicile Status of American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in 
Rochester Who Are or Have Been Married: 1920. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

TOTAL. 

WOMEN 

MAINTAINING 

HOMES. 

WOMEN LIVING 
WITH . 
RELATIVES. 

WOMEN 
BOARDING 
AND LODGING. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

United States. 

48, 000 

IOO. 0 

39 , 7 16 

82. 7 

6 - 35 ^ 

i 3 - 2 

1, 932 

4. 0 

Foreign countries, total. 

26, 467 

IOO. 0 

22, 977 

86. 8 

2, 943 

11. 1 

547 

2. 1 

Italy. 

6, 661 

IOO. 0 

5 , 933 

89. 1 

683 

10. 3 

45 

0. 7 

Germany. 

4 , 598 

IOO. 0 

3, 858 

83- 9 

674 

14. 7 

66 

1. 4 

Canada. 

3 , 904 

IOO. 0 

3, 266 

83-7 

468 

12. 0 

170 

4. 4 

Russia and Lithuania. 

2, 734 

IOO. 0 

2, 543 

93 - 0 

151 

5 - 5 

40 

1-5 

England. 

2, 118 

IOO. 0 

1, 760 

83. 1 

278 

1 3 - 1 

80 

" 3-8 

Ireland. 

1, 767 

IOO. 0 

1, 495 

84. 6 

224 

12. 7 

48 

2. 7 

Poland. 

1, 611 

IOO. 0 

1, 468 

91. 1 

107 

6.6 

36 

2. 2 

All other countries. 

3 , 074 

IOO. 0 

2, 654 

86.3 

358 

11. 6 

62 

2.0 





















































































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


37 


The households of foreign women maintaining homes are com¬ 
posed of more persons than are those of American home-makers. 
One-half of the American homes have 3 persons or a smaller num¬ 
ber to be cared for, whereas two-thirds of the foreign-born women 
home-makers are responsible for 4 or more persons. The 2-person, 
3-person, or 4-person households prevail among Americans. In 
Italian homes, 4, 5, and 6 persons are the numbers fed and housed 
most often. The Canadian and the English households resemble 
the American in point of numbers accommodated, whereas in 
Russian and Polish homes the 4-person and larger households are 
conspicuous. 


Table 17 .—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Who 
Are or Have Been Married and Who Have Specified Number of Persons 
in Household: 1920. 


COUNTRY OR BIRTH. 

Women 

maintain¬ 

ing 

homes. 

WOMEN MAINTAINING HOMES FOR 


1 

person. 

2 

persons. 

3 

persons. 

4 

persons. 

5 

persons. 

United States: 







Number. 

39 . 7i6 

866 

9, 090 

9 . 525 

8, 222 

5 . 306 

Per cent. 

100. 0 

2. 2 

22. 9 

23-9 

20. 7 

13-4 

Foreign countries: 







Number. 

22, 977 

370 

3,477 

3. 825 

4, 281 

3 . 633 

Per cent. 

IOO. O 

1. 6 

15 - 1 

16. 7 

18. 6 

15-8 

Italy: 







Number. 

S. 933 

16 

643 

708 

859 

963 

Per cent. 

TOO. O 

o -3 

10. 9 

11. 9 

i 4 - 5 

16. 2 

Germany: 







Number. 

3. 858 

11 3 

628 

702 

741 

626 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

2.9 

16. 3 

18. 2 

19. 2 

16. 2 

Canada: 







Number.'... 

3, 266 

86 

787 

693 

647 

439 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

2. 6 

24. 1 

21. 2 

19. 8 

13 - 5 

Russia and Lithuania: 







Number. 

2, 543 

II 

263 

368 

549 

447 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

0.4 

10.3 

14 - 5 

21.6 

17. 6 

England: 







Number. 

1.760 

46 

354 

418 

361 

251 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

2 . 6 

20. I 

23. 8 

20. s 

14. 2 

Ireland: 







Number. 

1, 495 

53 

254 

274 

267 

251 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

3 - 6 

16.9 

18.3 

17 9 

16. 8 

Poland: 







Number.. 

I, 468 

10 

121 

158 

314 

223 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

0. 7 

8.2 

10. 8 

21.4 

15-2 

All other countries: 







Number. 

2, 654 

35 

427 

S °4 

543 

433 

Per cent. 

IOO. 0 

1-3 

16.1 

18. 9 

20. 5 

16.3 




















































38 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


Table: 17 .—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Who Are 
or Have Been Married and Who Have Specified Number of Persons in 
Household: 1920—Continued. 


WOMEN MAINTAINING HOMES FOR— 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

6 

persons. 

7 

persons. 

8 

persons. 

9 

persons. 

10 

persons. 

More 
than 10 
persons. 

United States: 







Number. 

3. 183 

1. 652 

901 

429 

251 

291 

Per cent. 

8. 0 

4. 2 

2-3 

I. I 

0. 6 

0. 7 

Foreign countries: 







Number. 

2,767 

1, 912 

1, 214 

733 

389 

376 

Per cent. 

12. 1 

8.3 

5-3 

3- 2 

i- 7 

1. 6 

Italy: 







Number. 

906 

697 

500 

323 

166 

152 

Per cent. 

IS- I 

11. 8 

8.4 

5 - 5 

2. 8 

2. 6 

Germany: 







Number. 

420 

266 

166 

93 

52 

5 i 

Per cent. 

10. 9 

6. 9 

4 - 3 

2 - 4 

1. 4 

i -3 

Canada: 







Number. 

264 

1 S 3 

83 

56 

21 

37 

Per cent. 

8. 1 

4 - 7 

2. S 

i- 7 

0. 7 

1. 1 

Russia and Lithuania: 

Number. 

35 o 

240 

141 

86 

52 

36 

Per cent. *. . 

13-8 

9. 4 

5- 6 

3-4 

2. O 

1.4 

England: 







Number. 

151 

81 

59 

13 

II 

15 

Per cent. 

8.6 

4. 6 

3 - 4 

0. 7 

0. 6 

0. 9 

Ireland: 







Number. 

155 

III 

57 

31 

19 

23 

Per cent. 

10. 4 

7-4 

3-8 

2. I 

I- 3 

i- S 

Poland: 







Number. 

222 

182 

99 

68 

36 

35 

Per cent. 

is-1 

12. 4 

6. 7 

4. 6 

2- 5 

2. 4 

All other countries: 







Number. 

299 

182 

109 

63 

32 

27 

Per cent. 

ii-3 

6. 9 

4. 1 

2. 4 

I. 2 

1. 0 


The principal reasons for smaller households among Americans, 
Canadians, and English are found in Tables 18 and 19. One-third 
of all American and Canadian women have no children whatsoever 
in the family circle. The proportion is only slightly less among 
English women. Fewer than 15 in every hundred Italian, Rus¬ 
sian and Lithuanian, and Polish families are without children, the 
proportion being lowest among the last-mentioned nationality. 

Among American, Canadian, and English women with children 
over 70 in every hundred care for but 1 or 2 children. 1 As is 

1 Figures are for children actually living with their mothers and should not be mistaken for total children 
born to these mothers. 






















































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


39 


shown in Table 19, 60 of every hundred German and Irish mothers 
have an only child or 2 children; 38 in every hundred Italian 
mothers have similarly small families. By comparison, in only 
6 or 7 of every hundred American, English, and Canadian homes 
are there 5 children or more. In Irish homes 11 per hundred had 
5 children or more, in German homes 13 per hundred, in Russian 
and Lithuanian homes 19 per hundred, in Polish homes 22 per 
hundred, while in Italian homes about 27 in every hundred had 
5 children or more. 


Table 18 .—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester With or 
Without Children in the Family Circle: 1920. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

TOTAL. 

WOMEN WITH 
CHILDREN. 

WOMEN WITHOUT 
CHILDREN. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

United States. 

48, 000 

IOO. O 

31. 820 

66. 3 

16,180 

33 - 7 

Foreign countries, total. 

26, 467 

IOO. O 

21, 164 

80. 0 

5.303 

20 . O 

Italy. 

6, 661 

IOO. 0 

5. 699 

85.6 

962 

14.4 

Germany. 

4 . 598 

IOO. 0 

3 . 753 

81. 6 

845 

18.4 

Canada. 

3 . 904 

IOO. 0 

2, 592 

66. 4 

1,312 

33 - 6 

Russia and Lithuania. 

2, 734 

IOO. 0 

2,364 

86.5 

370 

13 - 5 

England. 

jO 

M 

M 

00 

IOO. 0 

1, 524 

72. 0 

594 

28. 0 

Ireland. 

I. 767 

IOO. 0 

1,367 

77 - 4 

400 

22. 6 

Poland. 

I, 611 

IOO. 0 

1,423 

88.3 

188 

11. 7 

All other countries. 

3 . 074 

IOO. 0 

2, 442 

79 - 4 

632 

20. 6 


The tendency among American women to care for fewer 
children than foreign-bom women has marked social significance. 
Although 48,000 American women are living in Rochester who 
are or have been married and only 26,467 foreign-born women of 
like marital status, there are 58,482 children of foreign mothers in 
the city as against 26,129 children of American mothers. In 
other words, although 65 per cent of all households are presided 
over by American women, the parental care of American women 
home-makers extended over only 53 per cent of the children 
in Rochester. The 9 per cent of Italian women in the city are 
responsible for the nurture and care of 15 per cent of the growing 
generation; the 2 per cent of Polish women control 4 per cent of 
the children; the 4 per cent of Russian and Lithuanian women 
direct the destinies of 6 per cent of the children; the 6 per cent 
of German mothers sponsor about 8 per cent of the younger 
generation; the 2 per cent of Irish women influence only a slightly 







































40 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER 


larger proportion of children; whereas the 3 per cent of English 
and 5 per cent of Canadian women in the city are responsible 
for a lesser proportion of children in the city than they themselves 
form of the women who are or have been married. 


Table 19 .—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Who Are 
or Have Been Married and Who Have Specified Number of Children in 
the Family Circle: 1920. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

WOMEN 

HAVING 

CHILDREN. 



MOTHERS HAVING 

I_ 



1 child. 

2 children. 

3 children. 

4 children. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

United States. 

31, 820 

100. 0 

14.318 

45 - 0 

8, 779 

27. 6 

4 . 455 

14. O 

2, 219 

7. 0 

Foreign countries,total.. 

21,164 

100. 0 

6,407 

30 . 3 

5 . 044 

23. 8 

3 - 717 

17. 6 

2, 518 

11.9 

Italy. 

5 . 699 

100. 0 

1, 122 

19. 7 

1. 073 

18. 8 

1, 079 

18. 9 

909 

15 - 9 

Germany. 

3 . 753 

100. 0 

1 ,338 

35 - 7 

940 

25. 0 

614 

16. 4 

381 

10. 2 

Canada. 

2, 592 

100. 0 

1, 180 

45 - 5 

664 

25. 6 

373 

14.4 

192 

7.4 

Russia and Lithuania. ...*.. 

2, 364 

100. 0 

539 

22. 8 

588 

24. 9 

475 

20. I 

307 

12. 9 

England. 

I. 524 

IOO. O 

655 

43 - 0 

416 

27 - 3 

244 

16.0 

105 

6. 9 

Ireland. 

1-367 

IOO. O 

476 

34 - 8 

339 

24. 8 

252 

18.4 

154 

11. 3 

Poland. 

1, 423 

IOO. 0 

285 

20 . O 

365 

25- 7 

258 

18.1 

197 

13-8 

All other countries. 

2, 442 

IOO. 0 

812 

33-3 

659 

26. 9 

422 

17.3 

273 

11. 2 


• 

COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 




MOTHERS HAVING 

1_ 




Aver¬ 
age 
num¬ 
ber of 
chil-. 
dren 
per 
moth¬ 
er. 

5 children. 

6 children. 

7 children. 

8 children. 

More than 

8 children. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

United States. 

1, 049 

3-3 

554 

I- 7 

237 

0. 8 

i 35 

0. 4 

74 

0. 2 

2.1 

Foreign countries, total.. 

1, 625 

7 - 7 

940 

4. 4 

533 

2.5 

223 

1. 1 

i 57 

0. 7 

2.8 

Italy. 

688 

12. 1 

43 i 

7. 6 

244 

4 - 3 

89 

1. 6 

64 

1.1 

3-4 

Germany. 

218 

5-8 

130 

3 - 5 

69 

1. 8 

35 

0. 9 

28 

0. 7 

2. 5 

Canada. 

93 

3- 6 

49 

1. 9 

24 

0. 9 

II 

0. 4 

6 

o -3 

2. 1 

Russia and Lithuania. 

207 

8. 8 

125 

5 - 3 

68 

2. 9 

37 

1. 6 

18 

0. 7 

3 -o 

England. 

62 

4. 1 

24 

1. 6 

10 

0. 7 

4 

O. 2 

4 

0. 2 

2 . I 

Ireland. 

73 

5 - 3 

35 

2. 6 

23 

i. 7 

7 

0. 5 

8 

0. 6 

2 - 5 

Poland. 

149 

10. 5 

77 

5 - 4 

5 i 

3 - 6 

23 

1. 6 

18 

1-3 

3- 2 

All other countries. 

135 

5 - 5 

69 

2. 8 

44 

1. 8 

17 

0. 7 

11 

0. 5 

2 - 5 


1 The figures refer to children actually living with their mothers and do not, therefore, indicate the 
total number of children born to these mothers. 


Italian mothers not only have relatively the largest number of 
children to care for, but their sons and daughters are, to a very large 
extent, young in years. Almost two-thirds of them have children 






























































































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


41 


under 5 years of age, and nearly three-fourths have children 
between 5 and 18 years of age; whereas only one-fourth have sons 
and daughters 18 years of age and over who might assist them. 
However, Italian mothers with older children do not usually have 
their service at home during the day, because such children are 
away working for wages. 

Polish and Russian women, who follow second and third, 
respectively, in numbers of children mothered, also have young 
children to care for, most often. Irish and German mothers, 
many of whom are widows, have older children. 

Among mothers with children 18 years of age and over the 
proportion sending such children to day school and the proportion 
sending working children to night or part-time schools is greatest 
for Russian mothers. While the New York law compels minors 
between 16 and 21 years of age who do not speak, read, nor write 
English to attend school for some part of the week, it is hardly 
likely that the law is entirely responsible for the action of 13 to 14 
out of every hundred Russian mothers with children 18 years of 
age and over who send them to day school. Only 6 in every 
hundred Polish mothers and 3 in every hundred Italian mothers 
send their children 18 years of age and over to day school. Chil¬ 
dren 18 years of age and over from 7 of every hundred American 
homes are given the advantages of higher education. 

Table 20. —American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Who Are 
or Have Been Married and Who Have Children op Specified Ages in 
School, at Home, or at Work: 1920. 

[In some cases mothers had children in more than one of the age classes shown. The total number of 

mothers, therefore, is less than the total of the three classes.] 


4 * 

COUNTRY OP BIRTH OP MOTHER. 

MOTHERS HAVING 
CHILDREN. 

MOTHERS HAVING 
CHILDREN UNDER 

5 YEARS OP AGE. 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 

United States.. .. 

31,820 

IOO. O 

11, 549 

36. 3 

Foreign countries, total. 

21, 164 

100. 0 

8, 487 

40. I 


5. 699 

IOO. 0 

3. 672 

64. 4 

Germany . 

3 » 753 

IOO. 0 

505 

13. 5 

Canada . 

2, 592 

IOO. 0 

620 

23.9 

Russia and Lithuania. 

' 2,364 

IOO. 0 

1, 157 

48.9 

England . 

I, 524 

IOO. 0 

402 

20.4 

T reland . 

1,367 

IOO. 0 

333 

24.4 

Poland . 

1,423 

IOO. 0 

833 

58.5 

All other countries. 

2,442 

IOO. 0 

965 

39 - 5 


































42 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


Table 20.—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Who Are 
or Have Been Married and Who Have Children or Specified Ages in 
School, at Home, or at Work: 1920— Continued. 


MOTHERS HAVING CHILDREN 5 AND UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH OF MOTHER. 

Number. 

• 

Per 

cent. 

At school. 

At home. 

At work. 1 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 2 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 2 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 2 

United States. 

16, 494 

51.8 

14, 493 

87. 9 

2, 736 

16. 6 

a 2, 491 

i 5 - 1 

Foreign countries, total. . 

12,359 

58. 4 

10, 351 

83.8 

2, 537 

20. s 

b 2, 632 

21. 3 

Italy. 

4, 167 

73 - 1 

3, 607 

86. 6 

898 

21. 6 

c 720 

i 7-3 

Germany . 

1, 629 

43 - 4 

1,303 

80. 0 

254 

15. 6 

d 650 

39 - 9 

Canada. 

r ,349 

52. 0 

1, 129 

83- 7 

200 

14. 8 

e 200 

14. 8 

Russia and Lithuania . 

1, 57 ° 

66.4 

1, 399 

89. 1 

283 

18. 0 

/306 

19 - 5 

England . 

744 

48.8 

649 

87. 2 

94 

12. 6 

0 130 

U- 5 

Ireland . 

594 

43 - 5 

488 

C* 

oi 

00 

134 

22. 6 

h 124 

20. 9 

Poland . 

963 

67. 7 

652 

67.7 

392 

40. 7 

i 217 

22. 5 

All other countries. 

1,343 

55 - 0 

1, 124 

83-7 

282 

21 . O 

j 285 

21 . 2 


MOTHERS HAVING CHILDREN 18 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH OF MOTHER. 

Number. 

Per 

cent. 

At school. 

At home. 

At work . 3 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent . 4 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent . 4 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent . 4 

United States. ... 

12, 723 

40.0 

859 

6.8 

3 , 330 

26. 2 

£9,972 

78. 4 

Foreign countries, total.. 

9, 676 

45 - 7 

430 

4. 4 

2,446 

25- 3 

/ 8, 286 

85.6 

Italy. 

1, 509 

26. 5 

45 

3- 0 

327 

21. 7 

> 1,3 27 

87. 9 

Germany.. 

2, 834 

75 - 5 

59 

2. I 

798 

28. 2 

w 2, 423 

85-5 

Canada. 

L 357 

52 . 4 

65 

4.8 

329 

24. 2 

« 1, in 

00 

M 

O 

Russia and Lithuania. 

865 

36. 6 

117 

13 - 5 

199 

23.0 

0 778 

89.9 

England. 

760 

49. 9 

34 

4 - 5 

207 

27.2 

w 627 

82.5 

Ireland. 

848 

62. 0 

36, 

4. 2 

213 

25 - I 

e 718 

84. 7 

Poland. 

432 

30 . 4 

27 

6. 3 

98 

22. 7 

P 378 

87.5 

All other countries. 

1, 071 

43 - 9 

47 

4. 4 

275 

25 - 7 

9924 

86.3 


1 429 mothers had children who were employed but also attended school; these were distributed according 
to note letter as follows: a 217; b 212; c 68; d 41; e 7; f 42 ; g 5; h 11 ; i 16\j 22. 

2 Based on number having children 5 and under 18 years of age. 

3 324 mothers had children who were employed but also attended school; these were distributed according 
to note letter as follows: k 173; / 151; j 22; m 28; n 3; o 64; e 7; p 9; q 15. 

4 Based on number having children 18 years of age and over. 
















































































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


43 


It is interesting to note in Table 21 that there is little difference 
between the proportion of native and foreign born married, wid¬ 
owed, and divorced women who assist their families by earning 
money. Among the Americans 29 in every hundred and among 
the foreign born 27 in every hundred, felt and obeyed the urge to 
add to the family income. Canadian women are breadwinners 
most frequently, 32 per hundred being the proportion. German 
women and Russian and Lithuanian women who are or have been 
married are breadwinners least often, fewer than 22 in every 
hundred among them being wage earners. 

Nor are German and Russian women inclined to work outside 
their own homes, for only 6 or 7 in every hundred do so. Among 
Americans, Italians, and Canadians 14 women per hundred work 
away from home. Most of the women who earn money at home 
take boarders or lodgers. The proportion of such women is 
smallest among the Russian and Lithuanian and largest among 
the Polish people. The average number of boarders and lodgers 
does not vary greatly by nationality. 


Table 21 .—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Who are 
or Have Been Married and Who Work for Money in or Outside Their 
Homes: 1920. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

TOTAL. 

' / 

WOMEN NOT 
WORKING FOR 
MONEY. 

WOMEN 
WORKING FOR 
MONEY. 

V/OMEN 
WORKING 
FOR MONEY 
OUTSIDE 
THEIR HOMES. 1 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

United States. 

* 

48, 000 

100. 0 

34 . 244 

7 i -3 

13 .756 

28. 7 

a 6, 574 

13- 7 

Foreign countries, total. 

26, 467 

100 0 

19. 44 i 

73-5 

7, 026 

26. 5 

b 2, 805 

10. 6 

Italy. 

6, 661 

IOO. O 

4 . 75 i 

7 r -3 

1, 910 

28. 7 

C 93 i 

14. 0 

Germany. 

4 . 598 

100. 0 

3 , 594 

78. 2 

1, 004 

21.8 

d 299 

6. 5 

Canada. 

3 , 904 

IOO. 0 

2, 664 

68. 2 

I, 240 

31-8 

£568 

14 - 5 

Russia and Lithuania. 

2. 734 

IOO. 0 

2, 183 

79.8 

55 i 

20. 2 

/i 73 

6. 3 

England. 

2, 118 

IOO. 0 

1. 55 ° 

73 - 2 

568 

26.8 

<7243 

ii- 5 

Ireland. 

1, 767 

IOO. 0 

1, 285 

72. 7 

482 

27-3 

h 146 

8-3 

Poland. 

1, 6x1 

IOO. 0 

1,125 

69.8 

486 

30. 2 

1149 

9. 2 

All other countries.... 

3.074 

IOO. 0 

2, 289 

74 - 5 

785 

25 - 5 

7296 

9. 6 


1 1,185 women who worked outside their homes also took boarders or lodgers. These were distributed 
according to note letter as follows: a 807, 6378, c 113, d 29, e 95-/3°, 0 22, h 23, *24, j 42. 









































44 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


Table 21. —American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Who Are 
or Have Been Married and Who Work for Money in or Outside Their 
Homes: 1920—Continued. 


WOMEN WORKING FOR MONEY IN THEIR HOMES. 


* 

COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Taking boarders or lodgers. 

Other 

home work. 

Number. 

Per cent. 

Av. number 

of boarders 

or lodgers. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

United States. 

7 . 989 

16. 6 

7 . 5 ii 

15-6 

1.8 

478 

1. 0 

Foreign countries, total. 

4 . 599 

17.4 

4.334 

16. 4 

1.8 

265 

1. 0 

Italy. 

i, 092 

16. 4 

1,041 

15- 6 

1.8 

5 i 

0. 8 

Germany. 

734 

15-9 

682 

14. 8 

i- 5 

52 

1. 1 

Canada. 

767 

19. 6 

728 

18. 6 

2.1 

39 

1. 0 

Russia and Lithuania. 

408 

14. 9 

384 

14. 0 

i- 5 

24 

0.9 

England. 

347 

16. 4 

333 

15 - 7 

2. 0 

14 

0. 7 

Ireland. 

359 

20.3 

342 

19 - 3 

2. X 

17 

1. 0 

Poland. 

361 

22. 4 

329 

20. 4 

i- 7 

32 

2. 0 

All other countries. 

53 i 

17-3 

495 

16.1 

1.8 

36 

1. 2 


Nor are there as many foreign mothers as American mothers who 
have an adult person living in the home to care for the younger 
children. Homes of foreign mothers with children under 5 years 
of age are left without any other adult person who lives in the 
home in 86 per cent, American homes in 74 per cent of the fami¬ 
lies. As has been previously stated, the number of such homes 
that have paid help, relatives, or friends who come daily to assume 
responsibility for the young children during the mother’s absence, 
or the number of mothers who leave children at day nurseries, is 
not shown in the census schedules. 

Although a slightly larger proportion of American women than 
of foreign-born women earn money at work which takes them 
away from home, these American women breadwinners are less 
frequently mothers of young children than are foreign women 
breadwinners. Eight in every hundred American women work¬ 
ing outside the home have children under 5 years of age, and 25 
per hundred have children between 5 and 18 years of age. In 
homes of foreign-born women, 16 of every hundred who earn 
money at work done away from home have children under 5 
years of age, and 37 per hundred have children between 5 and 
18 years of age. This information is contained in Table 22. 






































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


45 


Table 22.—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Working 
Outside The Home Who Have Young Children: 1920. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

WOMEN WORK¬ 
ING OUTSIDE 
THE HOME. 

WOMEN HAVING CHILDREN 
UNDER 5 YEARS OF AGE. 

WOMEN HAVING CHILDREN 
5 AND UNDER 18 YEARS 

OF AGE. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Having other 
adult 1 
persons at 
home. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Having other 
adult 1 
persons at 
home. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

United States. 

6, 574 

100. 0 

502 

7. 6 

128 

25 - 5 

i. 655 

25. 2 

269 

16. 3 

Foreign countries, total.... 

2, 805 

IOO. O 

453 

l6. I 

62 

i 3 - 7 

1. 034 

36. 9 

130 

12. 6 

Italy. 

93 i 

IOO. O 

294 

31. 6 

3 1 

10 . 5 

442 

47 - 5 

45 

IO. 2 

Germany. 

299 

IOO. 0 

l6 

5 - 4 

3 

18. 8 

98 

32. 8 

22 

22. 4 

Canada. 

568 

IOO. 0 

20 

3 - 5 

4 

20. O 

141 

24. 8 

21 

14.9 

Russia and Lithuania. 

173 

IOO. 0 

36 

20. 8 

6 

16. 7 

80 

46. 2 

9 

ir- 3 

England.... 

243 

IOO. 0 

14 

5-8 

4 

28.6 

76 

3 i -3 

4 

5 - 7 

Ireland. 

146 

IOO. 0 

14 

9. 6 

3 

21.4 

46 

3 i. 5 

9 

19. 6 

Poland. 

149 

IOO. 0 

34 

2-2. 8 

8 

23 - 5 

53 

35 - 6 

8 

15 - 1 

All other countries. 

296 

IOO. 0 

25 

8.4 

3 

12. O 

98 

33 - 0 

12 

12. 2 


1 “Adult” refers to persons 18 years of age and over. 


Italian mothers are largely answerable for the relatively high 
percentage of foreign-bom women out at work when they have 
young children needing their attention at home. Among them 
almost 32 of every hundred women working away from home 
have children less than 5 years of age, and 48 per hundred have 
children between 5 and 18 years of age. Only 10 per cent of 
these Italian mothers have adult relatives or servants living at 
home to care for their children. 

The few servants living in homes of employers are not equally 
shared among women of different nationalities. Two in every 
hundred American homes and 1 in every hundred Canadian 
homes reported such help. For women of other nationalities 
there is not 1 “living-in” servant for each 100 women. 

Adult daughters or other adult relatives staying at home, from 
whom some assistance with housework or with younger children 
can be secured, are more evenly divided. Of every hundred 
American wives and mothers, 16 have such relatives to help 
share their burdens; of every 100 foreign-bom women, 13 have the 
same kind of assistance. When considering these figures in Table 
23 it must be remembered, however, that not only women main¬ 
taining homes for their own families, but women living with 
relatives and boarding or lodging, are included in the statistics. 














































46 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


Table: 23 .—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Who Are 
or Have Been Married and Who Have Servants Living in Household 
or Adult 1 Relatives at Home Who Could Help With Housework or With 
Care op Children: 1920. 


COUNTRY OP BIRTH. 

TOTAL. 

WOMEN HAVING ASSISTANCE IN THE HOME. 

Num¬ 

ber* 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Paid servant 
living in 
home. 

Adult 1 daugh¬ 
ter or relative 
at home. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber. 

Per 

cent. 

United States. 

48,000 

100. 0 

8, 754 

18.2 

1,124 

2.3 

7. 630 

* 5 - 9 

Foreign countries, total. 

26,467 

100. 0 

3 . 596 

136 

i 37 

0. 5 

3 . 459 

i 3 - 1 

Italy.;. 

6, 661 

100. 0 

746 

11. 2 

4 

O. I 

742 

11. 2 

Germany. 

4 , 598 

100. 0 

862 

18. 7 

27 

0. 6 

835 

18. 1 

Canada. 

3 . 904 

100. 0 

610 

15-6 

39 

1.0 

571 

14. 6 

Russia and Lithuania. 

2, 734 

100. 0 

271 

99 

15 

0. 5 

256 

9 - 4 

England. 

2, 118 

100.0 

300 

14. 2 

14 

0. 7 

286 

13 - 5 

Ireland. 

x, 767 

100. 0 

246 

13 - 9 

l6 

0. 9 

230 

13. 0 

Poland. 

i, 611 

100. 0 

168 

10. 4 

10 

0. 6 

158 

9-8 

All other countries. 

3,074 

100. 0 

393 

12.8 

12 

0.4 

381 

12.4 


1 “Adult” refers to persons 18 years of age and over. 


Table 24 shows that the husband or father is sole breadwinner 
as frequently in Italian and Russian and Lithuanian families as 
he is sole breadwinner in the families of American-born women. 
However, both husband and wife or father and mother work for 
money with which to meet family expenses more frequently in 
Italian and Polish families than in American families. 

The number of widows in German and Irish families accounts 
for the large proportion of families of these nationalities that have 
children breadwinners only, mother and children breadwinners, 
or no breadwinners whatsoever. 

That breadwinners in Italian, Russian and Lithuanian, and 
Polish families have more persons to support than do breadwin¬ 
ners in American, Canadian, English, Irish, or German families 
is the prominent fact appearing on Table 25. In families of the 
latter nationalities, having but 1 person working for money, this 
earner has 3 persons to support, whereas in Italian, Russian and 
Lithuanian, and Polish families the 1 wage earner has between 4 
and 5 persons depending upon his or her earnings. When bread¬ 
winners increase to 3 persons, American, Canadian, English, 
German, and Irish families average between 4 and 5 in number, 











































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER 


47 


whereas Italian families having 3 earners number over 6 and 
Russian and Lithuanian and Polish families average almost 6 
members. 

Table 24.—American-Born and Foreign-Born Women in Rochester Having 
Specified Members of Families Working for Money: 1920. 


COUNTRY OP BIRTH. 


TOTAL. 


Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fami¬ 

lies. 


United States. 

Foreign countries, total 

Italy. 

Germany. 

Canada. 

Russia and Lithuania. 

England. 

Ireland. 

Poland. 

All other countries. 


48, 000 


26, 467 


6, 661 
4 . 598 
3.904 
2, 734 

2, 118 
1, 767 
1, 611 

3 . 074 


Per 

cent. 


100. o 


100. o 


100. o 
100. o 
100. o 
100. o 

100. o 
IOO. o 
IOO. o 
IOO. o 


MEMBER OR MEMBERS OF FAMILY WORKING 
FOR MONEY. 


Husband only. 


Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fami¬ 

lies. 


22, 788 


10,412 


3. 184 
1. 025 
1, 508 
1, 299 

8 S 8 
499 
725 
1. 314 


Per 

cent. 


47 - 5 


39 - 3 


47. 8 
22. 3 
38.6 
47 - S 

40 . 5 
28. 2 
45 - o 
42. 8 


U 

V • 
X2 >» 

I a 
c « 

> a 


3 ■ 2 


4.0 


4.8 
3-3 
3- 2 
4. 1 

3-3 
3 - 6 
4. 4 
3-8 


Wife or widow 
only. 


Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fami¬ 

lies. 


3 . 171 


1,109 


Per 

cent. 


6.6 


4. 2 


138 

183 

307 

52 

129 

130 
45 

125 


2. 1 
3-9 
7-9 
1. 9 

6. 1 

7 - 4 
2.8 
4. 1 


Ih 

V . 
£3 >> 

a! 
a « 

> a 


X. 5 


1.8 


2. 6 

1. 7 
x. 5 
2.4 

*. 5 

2. o 
2-3 
I. 7 


Children only. 


Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fami¬ 

lies. 


2, 823 


2, 606 


397 

854 

325 

181 

20s 

304 

75 

265 


Per 

cent. 


5 - 9 


9. 8 


6. o 
18.6 

8.3 

6 . 6 

9 - 7 
17. 2 

4 - 7 

8.6 


<u • 
>> 

§1 

a rt 

► a 
<"* 


3■ i 


3-4 


3- 6 
3-4 
3-0 
4.0 

3- o 
3 - 3 
4. 1 
3- a 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

MEMBER OR N 

Husband and 
wife. 

IEMBERS OF FAN 
FOR MONEY. 

Father or 
mother and 
children. 

IILY WORKING 

Father and 
mother and 
children. 

NO BREAD¬ 
WINNERS 

IN FAMILY. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fami¬ 

lies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fami¬ 

lies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fami¬ 

lies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fami¬ 

lies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

United States. 

7, 605 

15-8 

2.9 

6, 891 

14. 4 

4 - 5 

X| 549 

3- 2 

4 - 5 

3 . i 73 

6.6 

i- 7 

• 

Foreign countries, total. 

3 . 977 

i5-o 

3 - 7 

5. 568 

21. 1 

5-3 

1, 205 

4. 6 

5- 2 

1. 590 

6. 0 

i- 9 

Italy. 

1, 404 

21. 0 

4. 2 

1, 024 

15 - 4 

6. 4 

281 

4. 2 

5-9 

233 

3 - 5 

2. 5 

Germany. 

330 

7. 2 

3- 2 

x, 464 

31.8 

5 -o 

292 

6.4 

5 -o 

450 

9.8 

1. 7 

Canada. 

610 

15-6 

2.9 

715 

18.3 

4 - 3 

170 

4.4 

4-3 

269 

6. 9 

x- 7 

Russia and Lithuania. 

389 

14. 2 

3-8 

636 

23 - 3 

6. 1 

69 

2. 5 

5-8 

108 

4. 0 

2. O 

England. 

270 

12. 7 

2. 9 

407 

19. 2 

4-3 

99 

4 - 7 

4.8 

150 

7 - 1 

1.8 

Ireland. 

189 

10. 7 

3 - 5 

390 

22. I 

4.8 

73 

4. 1 

5 -o 

182 

10. 3 

i- 7 

Poland. 

339 

21. O 

4. 2 

298 

18.5 

6-3 

85 

5-3 

6. 4 

44 

2. 7 

2. 2 

All other countries. 

446 

14 - 5 

3 - 4 

634 

20. 6 

5 - 1 

136 

4. 4 

4.8 

154 

5- 0 

1.9 































































































48 


THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER 


Table 25 .—Number or Members in American-Born and Foreign-Born 
Women’s Families in Rochester Working for Money: 1920. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 


United States. 

Foreign countries, total 

Italy. 

Germany. 

Canada.. 

Russia and Lithuania. 

England. 

Ireland. 

Poland. 

All other countries.. 


COUNTRY OF BIRTH. 

FAMILIES HAVING SPE 
MEMBERS WORKE 

4 members. 

,CIFIED NUMBER OF 
STG FOR MONEY. 

5 members. 

NO MEMBER IN 
FAMILY WORKING 
FOR MONEY. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam- 

ihes. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 
in family. 

United States. 

1, 206 

2 - 5 

5 - 7 

622 

i -3 

7 - 3 

3 . i 73 

6. 6 

1. 7 

Foreign countries, total. 

1. 305 

4. 9 

6. 2 

822 

3 -1 

7 - 5 

1. 590 

6. 0 

i- 9 

Italy. 

226 

3 - 4 

7.2 

91 

1. 4 

7. 6 

233 

3 - 5 

2. 5 

Germany. 

384 

8.4 

5-8 

300 

6. 5 

7-4 

450 

9-8 

i- 7 

Canada. 

144 

3 - 7 

5 - 5 

70 

1. 8 

7 - 1 

269 

6. 9 

i- 7 

Russia and Lithuania. 

i 43 

5- 2 

6.8 

89 

3-3 

7 - 7 

108 

3 - 9 

2. 0 

England. 

78 

3 - 7 

5 - 7 

42 

1. 9 

7.0 

150 

7 - 1 

i.*8 

Ireland.. 

95 

5-3 

5 - 4 

83 

4 - 7 

7. 2 

182 

10. 3 

i- 7 

Poland. 

96 

5-9 

7 - 1 

59 

3 - 7 

8.0 

44 

2. 7 

2. 2 

All other countries. 

139 

4 - 5 

5-9 

88 

2. 9 

7 - 5 

154 

5 -o 

1.9 


TOTAL. 

FAMILIES HAVING SPECIFIED NUMBER OF MEMBERS 
WORKING FOR MONEY. 

1 member. 

2 members. 

3 members. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 

in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 

in family. 

Num¬ 

ber 

of 

fam¬ 

ilies. 

Per 

cent. 

Av. number 

in family. 

% 

48, OOO 

100. 0 

27. 693 

57 - 7 

3 -o 

12, 269 

25. 6 

3- 2 

3 . 037 

6.3 

4.6 

26, 467 

IOO. O 

12, 908 

48. 8 

3- 6 

7 . 156 

27. 0 

3 - 9 

2, 686 

IO. 2 

5 -1 

6, 661 

IOO. O 

3 . 579 

53 - 7 

4. 6 

2, 001 

30. 0 

4 - 7 

53 i 

8. 0 

6. 1 

4 . 598 

100. 0 

1, 619 

35 - 2 

2. 9 

1. i 54 

25. 1 

3 - 5 

691 

15 - 0 

4. 6 

3.904 

IOO. 0 

2, 005 

5 i -4 

2. 9 

1, 103 

28. 2 

3- 2 

313 

8. 0 

4. 2 

2, 734 

IOO. 0 

1,427 

52. 2 

3-9 

661 

24. 2 

4-3 

306 

11. 2 

5 - 9 

2, 118 

IOO. 0 

1, 121 

52.9 

3- 0 

535 

25- 3 

3- 2 

192 

9.1 

4 - 5 

1, 767 

IOO. 0 

765 

43-3 

3 - 1 

441 

25.0 

3 - 5 

201 

11.4 

4. 6 

1, 611 

IOO. 0 

804 

49 - 9 

4. 2 

471 

29 - 3 

4 - 5 

137 

8.5 

5 - 7 

3. 074 

IOO. 0 

1, 588 

5 i- 7 

3 - 5 

790 

25 - 7 

3 - 7 

315 

10. 2 

4.9 



















































































THE WOMAN HOME-MAKER. 


49 


CONCLUSION. 

The salient facts shown in the foregoing comparison of American- 
born women home-makers and foreign-born women home-makers 
in Rochester are briefly restated: 

1. There is little difference in the conditions revealed by this 
report between American women and English and Canadian 
women who are or have been married. The essential differences 
occur between women of these nationalties and Italian, Polish, 
and Russian and Lithuanian women. 

2. The proportion of women with broken conjugal ties due to 
causes other than the death of husband is greatest among Ameri¬ 
cans and Canadians. 

3. Boarding or lodging is also more frequent among American 
and Canadian women than among women of other nationalities 
in Rochester. 

4. One-third of all American and Canadian and over one-fourth 
of all English women who are or have been married are without 
children in their homes. A little less than one-half of the women 
home-makers of these nationalities with children have only 1 child. 

5. About one-eighth of the Italian, Polish, and Russian and 
Lithuanian women are without children in the family circles. 
One-fifth of the mothers of these nationalities have only 1 child 
each. 

6. Approximately an equal number of American-born women 
and foreign-born women home-makers earn money to add to the 
family income. 

7. A greater proportion of Italian mothers with young children 
than mothers of any other nationality work outside the home. 

8. The husband is the sole breadwinner for his family in as large 
a proportion of foreign families as of American families in Roches¬ 
ter. However, his burden, as measured by the number of persons 
in the family, is heavier than that of American husbands and 
fathers. 

9. Lack of ability to speak English occurs most frequently 
among Italian women. 


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